Dark as Night
by Serafina Claremond
Summary: When a dead girl tells you to go to Beacon Hills, you do it. But being a part of the life she left behind was crazy, even for someone who talked to the dead. And things seemed totally fine, until a war between the spirits broke out. Yeah, senior year was gonna be fun. Isaac/OC/Stiles
1. Welcome Back

_Dark hair, red lips. Pale skin, eyes that still twinkled in the dreamlike atmosphere. As usual, she was perched on the abandoned table top, swinging her legs into the rolling mist. She smiled, eyes crinkling, and said, "Hey you." _

_"Hey yourself, Allison," I said as she laughed, the sound lightly carrying off into the surrounding forest. I sat down next to her, crossing my legs, and for a moment, I forgot where I was. _

_"Veronica," she said, her voice evening out, seriousness playing into her eyes. "You've been great. But something is about to happen, I can feel it. Promise me you'll take care of them." _

_"That's what I've been doing for you and they don't even know it." _

_"I know, and I'm so grateful for what you've done. But whatever happens, protect them. Especially Isaac." _

_"Lahey?" I asked. That request, while not absurd, didn't make sense. "He hasn't been here since you- since they trapped the nogitsune again." _

_She ran her fingers through her hair, brushing her bangs out of her eyes. "I know, he went with my dad to Europe. But something big is about to happen. I can't imagine that he wouldn't come back for Scott." _

_"What something, Allison?" _

_"V, Beacon Hills has been quiet for too long. Since you've been there, there have been no attacks, no deaths, no supernatural creatures. I just have this feeling that something will happen. Something big." _

_"Something bad," I whispered._

* * *

My eyes fluttered open, scanning the still-foreign bedroom walls, and my mind adjusted back to reality. I reached for the notebook and pen on the nightstand as I did every morning and wrote about Allison Argent. The notebook was filled with the nightly conversations we had, the stories about her friends she told me, and the things I learned about her from her friends. Even though I'd never met her when she was alive, I truly felt like I did. But then again, these dreams - in their wholly twisted form - helped cement our friendship from the very first day. The day I had a chance encounter with a boy in the woods near Los Angeles County; the same night she first entered my dreams and convinced me to come to Beacon Hills. I already planned on leaving the area, ready for the next bit of my life, and drove off in my 1971 light blue Corolla where the supernatural ran rampant. I enrolled in the local high school effortlessly. Literally. The school had such a shoddy administration system that I didn't have to provide any previous school documents. No wonder Gerard and Victoria were able to so easily receive jobs there. But every night, while I slept in my car, Allison entered my dreams and we talked at our spot in the forest about how her previous life and my current one were merging together.

I initially didn't intend to make a life for myself in Beacon Hills. I wanted to come and learn about the array of supernatural creatures - and hopefully myself, by extension - and the life Allison left behind. It was so unlike mine that my curiosity was piqued. But, naturally, Kira Yukimura, one of the new girls at BHHS before me, tried to welcome me to the school. Once she determined I was well-adjusted in the city, she befriended me, and later, discovered I was living out of my car. And before I wrapped my head around the idea of basic friendship, I was sleeping in her family's guest room. Then I was spending all of my time with Kira, her boyfriend Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, Lydia Martin, and Stiles's ex-girlfriend, Malia Tate.

Finishing up my journal entry about Allison and her cryptic warning, I rolled out of bed and got ready for school. It didn't take much time, since I never touched makeup and had already planned my outfit the night before. I scurried downstairs for breakfast anyway, and sat down in front of the toasted and buttered bagel already waiting for me.

I thanked Ms. Yukimura and scarfed down both halves, frequently checking the time and hoping Kira would come downstairs any minute. Her mom was still cooking a hearty meal for her husband, even though the three of us would be leaving soon. She asked, "Are you taking Kira to school today?"

The young kitsune bounded down the stairs, grabbed the other bagel, and answered, "Yeah, she is! Love you!" She kissed her mother on the cheek before we climbed into my car. The entire ride to school was filled with endless smiles and chattering about senior year. As I parked the car, I looked her in the eye, and deadpanned, "Someone's excited."

"What?" She asked, checking the mirror to see if any crumbs had stuck to the corners of her lips. "Oh. It's the first day of senior year!"

"I know, but it'll probably be like every other school day we had last semester." She half-slapped me across the shoulder and pointed out, "Scott's even excited for senior year. So stop being such a downer, V."

If the True Alpha werewolf thought it was going to be an exciting, yet supernaturally uneventful year, then he was probably right. Which meant Allison was wrong. But I couldn't exactly mention either of those things since I never told them why I came to Beacon Hills or that I knew Allison and everything. So instead, I rolled my eyes and said, "Yes, because you two are the cutest power couple at Beacon Hills and I should listen to all your wisdom."

"You know, you could totally get a boyfriend this year," she teased. I pursed my lips and retorted, "Oh really? Because only the only guys I spend my time with are your boyfriend and Stiles."

"Well, what's wrong with Stiles?"

"Other than his on-and-off relationship with Malia and the fact that him and Lydia are so meant to be? Yeah, I don't want to be a part of that drama." Stiles knocked on the passenger window. "Oh look who it is."

"That's a sign," Kira said, smiling, as she opened the door for him. I got out too, and raised my voice. "Did you really have to touch the window?"

Giving my dusty car a quick once-over, he answered, "Yeah, because I really messed up the dirt pseudo-paint job you've got going on here."

"Just because you have this weird fetish about keeping your car clean does not mean I have to wash mine every single day."

He opened his mouth, looking partially offended, ready to retort, when Scott walked up, scooped up Kira, and said, "It's too early for you two to be fighting." The werewolf pushed a quick kiss to Kira's temple.

"Fine, then I'll see you lovebirds in homeroom," I said, wrapping my hand around Stiles's wrist and dragging him across campus to our lockers. Kira shouted behind us, "We'll save you seats!"

Our lockers were side-by-side, on the opposite side of where homeroom and Kira's and Scott's lockers were. I put in a couple of my binders, leaving a skinny notebook in my book bag. Glancing over at Stiles, with all his bed-head glory, and asked, "How's your morning going?"

"Great. Today feels like it's gonna be a good day," he said, nodding his head every few seconds. When I first met him, he hardly moved as much as Allison originally described him. It was an after effect of the nogitsune's possession of him. There would even be times where he caught himself sitting too still and tried to overcompensate. But as the summer went on, his hyperactivity increased, his mannerisms becoming more comfortable, more like him.

"That's what Kira said," I said, laughing. I had to make sure my gaze didn't wander over to his lips. Then I had to mentally smack myself for evening considering that I would make eye contact with his mouth. "You definitely look more like yourself."

He closed his locker for me and leaned towards me, and I got a strong whiff of him. And he smelled _good._ "What does that mean?"

Shit. Shit. Shit. If anything, now would be a great time to tell him I knew. So then I could pull him into a well-deserved hug and let him know that I was always around for him to talk about it. Talk through it. But I couldn't. I didn't. "I meant, junior year was hard for everyone with SATs and college prep. We were all so stressed with bags under our eyes and that crazed look we gave to the underclassmen. But now that it's senior year, you looked more relaxed. Energized, by relaxed. Happy."

Stiles shook his head at the mention of junior year, the nogitsune clouding his mind again. Only for a second though. He bounced back immediately, flashing his charming boyish grin at me. For a second, I was grateful he wasn't a werewolf. He put a hand on my shoulder and thanked me.

We walked to the office to pick up and compare our senior year schedules before heading towards homeroom. As seniors, we all chose Mr. Yukimura for our homeroom teacher, much to Kira's dismay. When Stiles and I got there, Lydia and Malia already saved us a cluster of seats. Stiles sat behind the strawberry blond and I took the seat behind him. "Good morning you two."

Lydia smiled, lips bright red. "It's actually a pretty good morning, given the circumstances. Stiles, you can't stand to do your hair in the morning?"

"What? I thought it looked good. Then I could truthfully say 'I woke up like this' when the freshman girls fawned over me." She didn't have a chance to retort because Kira, planting herself on between Malia and me, exclaimed, "We're all sitting together! This is great."

Malia reached out and touched her gently on wrist. "It's gonna be a great year." Groaning, I put my head down on the desk, hitting it a little too hard. When I looked back up, rubbing my forehead, my friends were staring at me. "You guys keep saying stuff like that."

"V doesn't believe me when I say that after a quiet summer, senior year is going to be a blast," Kira explained to our friends.

"Maybe if you told me how it would be a blast, I'd look forward to it."

"That's easy," Scott said. Using his fingers, he counted off, "We'll get into colleges, classes will be easier…"

Kira included, "You'll get a boyfriend, there won't be an su—"

"Sucky parties," Lydia cut in. "Senior parties are the best. Jackson used to take me all the time our freshman and sophomore years." Kira almost mentioned supernatural activity and I wanted her to. Selfishly, I was tired of keeping up this facade, but Allison promised me to keep her a secret. Especially since it wasn't exactly necessary for them to know yet. I smiled at the rest of them, pretending to be oblivious to Kira's apologetic shrug to the pack.

Mr. Yukimura walked in. "Good morning. I will be your homeroom teacher every day this year for twenty minutes. I know you are all seniors so my only request is that you speak quietly during the morning announcements. Alright, carry on."

Kira and Malia started an animated conversation about how to get me a boyfriend when a guy in a leather jacket and a pair of sunglasses entered the room. Scott shouted, prompting Mr. Yukimura to chide him immediately, "Isaac Lahey. How've you been, man?"

Isaac walked over to our section, sliding his sunglasses off and revealing his smoldering eyes, and smiled. "It's been good. I spent the last semester abroad in France with Argent." He hugged everyone in quick succession, slowing down at Lydia. For a moment he held her, with Allison on their mind. They pulled apart and she smiled meekly. "We heard. How is he, by the way?"

"A lot better. We came back because he said someone needed his help here." He sat down to the left of Stiles and caught my eye. "Who's this?"

I extended my hand. "Veronica Yang. But these guys call me V." Malia added, "We started second semester together, a few days after you left for France."

"Right," he said before lowering his voice, "are you part of the pack?"

Out of the corner of my eye, Scott's arms tensed up. This was my chance to tell them everything I knew about them. And Danny. But again, I bit my tongue and played dumb. I laughed. "'The Pack'? That's what you guys secretly call yourself?"

"Ha ha ha, yeah. It's so stupid. Right, Isaac?" Stiles said, nervously smiling. Isaac nodded, playing along, and repeated him. "So stupid." His eyes stayed with mine as he whispered, "It's nice to meet you though. Welcome to Beacon Hills."

* * *

Classes went by quickly and soon the first day of senior year was over. Throughout the day, I noticed the boys speaking in hushed voices, and clamming up whenever I came by. I couldn't blame them: Isaac probably wanted to make sure I was who I said I was. New girls didn't exactly have the best track record around here - and I was no exception. They just didn't know it yet. If Allison was right though, and something big was about to happen, they deserved to know what I knew sooner rather than later. Especially if it was equally as bad as all the things that happened before. I couldn't risk them thinking I was their enemy.

Stiles and I trekked from our lockers to meet up with everyone else before the boys' first lacrosse practice. "Wait," I asked, "I thought lacrosse was a spring sport."

"Well, since the every school in our league has a shitty football team, the district made a decision to move lacrosse to the fall and track to the spring," he explained carefully. "So y'know, we'll get to attend some Southern California meets this year. Greaat."

"Mm, that makes sense." I grumbled, "I wish I could watch the full practice instead of skipping out early to go to work." Scott pulled some serious strings with Deaton to let me work for him. We got to the field and saw Isaac and Scott, already in their gear, huddling with Kira and Lydia away from the rest of the team. Malia was at her after-school therapy - which were really were-lessons with Peter Hale. There were still a few minutes before practice started, and I could hear Isaac saying, "You're sure she doesn't know anything about the supernatural chessboard?"

Walking a few quick steps ahead of me, Stiles groaned. "You keep asking that. I'll give you the same answer: we're sure."

I tapped him on the shoulder and pouted. "You really have to stop gossiping about me. It's getting to be a bad habit. The girls avoided eye contact with me, but Isaac scrutinizing gaze didn't waver. "But I'll tell you anyway. I know."

Kira's eyes widened. "You know what exactly?" Using my fingers, I counted off - similar to the way Scott did this morning: "Scott and Isaac are werewolves, you're a fox spirit, and Lydia's a banshee. Oh, and Malia's a werecoyote. Stiles, on the other hand, he's something."

"How long?" Lydia asked, her voice curt.

"As soon as I met you." Scott crossed his arms against his chest and asked, "How did you figure it out?"

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Like it's hard. Even Danny knows." Oops.

"Danny knows?" Stiles asked.

Shit. I couldn't spill everything yet. "You didn't know that Danny knew because he told Ethan and Ethan left."

"Aiden's brother?" Lydia asked, a slight crack in her voice. I nodded and silently cursed myself again. Why was this so hard? I backpedalled, "Right, I didn't know Ethan because he left before I got here. You know what? Stiles was right, I know nothing."

Coach Finstock blew his whistle and yelled at the girls to get off his field. I quickly said, "I will tell you everything after work tonight."

Scott shouted back to Coach, "Can we get a few minutes? We're celebrating that Lahey's back!"

"Fine, McCall! Three minutes!" Noting my confused face, he explained, "Coach is happy the two of us are back playing and Stiles has gotten better. You have three minutes."

"Okay fine, I have this crazy superpower where I can tell when someone isn't human. It's just a feeling, I can't explain it. But if I touch them, I know what they are."

"But you haven't touched me yet," Isaac pointed out. I shrugged and said, "I've been here for seven months. I notice the subtle differences in how I feel around different creatures, I guess."

Stiles was putting everything together in his head and he opened his mouth, only to be cut off by Lydia who figured it out first. "But what about Ethan or Danny?"

"Danny and I talked about it before and he mentioned Ethan. It wasn't hard to notice he knew, especially because of how careful he was around you guys."

Scott shot me a wary look, clearly in protector mode. "How are we supposed to trust you, Veronica?" _Ouch_. He used my full name.

"The entire time I've known you, I haven't told anyone or done anything to put you in danger," I replied, holding his gaze. Kira nudged me with her elbow, and said, "I still trust her. She's right. We have no reason to believe she's a threat to us."

Lydia nodded in agreement, both saying, "She's our friend."

"I might not know her, but if they trust her," Isaac said, his eyes briefly moving down my body, "who am I to disagree? Plus, she's tiny. Who is she gonna hurt?"

Stiles flashed a grin at me, and Scott finished his internal debate. "If my pack trusts you, so do I."


	2. Keep Me Close

_Allison flipped her hair. "I told you Isaac would be back. What do you think of him?"_

_"He's a bit snarly," I replied. "But very loyal."_

_"He is. Especially when it comes to Scott. You should've been there when he kept wanting to tell him about what happened with the Oni, constantly insisting that only I promised my dad to keep my mouth shut for a day."_

_"Yeah, but I like it."_

_"The loyalty or Isaac?"_

_I rolled my eyes at her. "He seems like a good guy, Allison."_

_"Is he doing okay?" She folded her hands in her lap._

_"He'll probably never get over you," I said, sighing. "But he seems like he got through it with your dad."_

_"That's good. I'm glad they had each other." The corners of her mouth raised. "I'm glad I have you too. To protect them."_

_"I'll do my best."_

_"Especially Isaac He's lost so many people already."_

_"I know. I will."_

_She smiled again, this time it reached her eyes. "Be careful with him though. You might fall in love with him. God knows I almost did."_

* * *

After a week of strained hangouts and study sessions with the pack following my startling revelations, I found myself wandering alone in the hallway during the awkward time after school and before lacrosse practice. I had already gone to my locker without Stiles and just decided to walk aimlessly for a bit before having to sit uncomfortably with Lydia, Kira, and Malia.

"Hey, Veronica," a low voice said behind me. Surprised, I whipped around on my heels to find Isaac standing in front of me, already geared up. "You okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's just," I rambled, "no one ever calls me Veronica. Except you. So I don't know why I keep being surprised when I hear it. Never mind, what's up?" Realizing who I was talking to, I straightened up, alert. I didn't want to seem like I was suspicious of Isaac, but he never spoke to me without anyone else around. Without Scott around.

With a hand on the back of his neck, nervously scratching, he asked, "I was wondering if you wanted to partner up for the business project?" Instinctually, I raised an eyebrow. The first time he speaks to me away from Scott and it's because he wants to work _with _me?

"Me and you?" I squeaked.

"You're the only one from the pack who chose business over econ," he explained. Rolling the idea around in my head, I figured his answer wasn't totally out of left field. All seniors were required to take either the introduction to business course or second level economics as means of "preparation for college level work, and by extension, the real world." Or at least that's what it said on our registration forms last semester. I was the default choice and when it came down to it, we'd all rather work with the most estranged pack member than some stranger. "It's a semester project and I thought we could use it to get to know each other better."

In other words: "Keep an eye on me." He was loyal, I had to give him that. Isaac scrunched his nose a little and said, "Okay. Maybe. But Scott is my Alpha. I need to protect him from danger. Which can come in all forms, especially pretty girls."

My heart gained momentum at the small compliment; my mind was aware of past pretty girls in Scott's life - Allison, Kira - and the dangers their families posed. I rolled my eyes, and teased, "Oh you think I'm pretty?"

He shrugged. "Yeah." Isaac's charm suddenly seeped out a bit, and I finally understood why all the girls at school swooned at the sight of his scarf. Once you got past the dry humor and broody demeanor, he was genuinely a sweet guy.

I scoffed at his dismissal of my joke and agreed. "We can be partners."

"Cool. Thanks, Veronica. We'll start after practice?" I nodded. "See you then." And he took a few steps towards the entrance of the building. Frozen for a second, I wondered if I should tell him I'd be at practice too, or just follow him, risking that he might think I'm creepy. I decided on the former, took a few steps towards him, and gently tugged at a loose strap hanging from his bag. "I always stay for practice on Fridays with Kira and Lyds since I don't have work. I'll walk with you."

He smiled and said, "Yeah, Scott mentioned you took his place at the animal clinic. How do you like it so far?"

"It's alright. The money is good, especially since I haven't had to take on any supernatural cases," I joked. The corners of his lips quivered, as if he couldn't control them from giving away his amusement.

"So Veronica," he drawled, "What do you guys do at practice nowadays?" Immediately, I answered, "Rate how hot the guys are." The werewolf cocked an eyebrow at me. I laughed. "Kidding. We do homework and try to cheer you on."

This answer seemed agreeable enough to him. "You coming to the game tomorrow night or do you have work?"

"Of course I'm coming. Lacrosse isn't just a sport at Beacon Hills, it's a way of life," I said, my voice even to convey all seriousness. Isaac looked at me, in shock, like he didn't think he'd ever hear that combination of words come out of my mouth. "You wound me, Isaac, if you truly think that lacrosse is the kind of life I'd love to live."

He laughed. "Ha ha. You're hilarious. Just for that, every goal I make will be for you."

"Really? That'd be swell! Then we can go out for milkshakes later and maybe, if you're good, throw in a couple of musical numbers where we profess our love for each other." By the time we got to the field, Isaac's face was stuck in an all-consuming grin which basically meant he was about to double over in laughter, a sight all too much for the butterflies in my stomach.

I tried to will the feeling - the very shallow crush I was developing - away because I knew it was all for Scott. It was all for the sake of the pack, excluding me. It wasn't real. Allison had clued me in on the fact that every new student at Beacon Hills was never only human. Kira, Malia, the twins, herself included. They - or their families - had all been the center of supernatural warfare. And I knew this, that to them, I posed a potential threat to their safety. And yet, this feeling, this crush, talking to Isaac, it was easy and I liked it. The connection that Stiles and Scott had, or the tether between Lydia and Stiles, was something I wanted. Their physical and emotional bonds were nothing I ever experienced, or could even understand. Yes, Allison was in the picture, but only when I was asleep; I yearned for someone real, not just their essence.

"LAHEY! Get your butt on the field," Coach Finstock screamed. Isaac, about a half-step from ducking away, said, "Gotta go. But I'll get to the Yukimura's as soon as I clean up."

Lifting a hand, awkwardly, to wave goodbye, I quickly asked, "Are you sure you want to do this tonight? It is a Friday."

"Got a hot date?"

I snorted. "No, but maybe you do with one of your groupies."

Isaac started to half-jog away from me, but stopped himself before he got to the rest of the team. He turned around, and I watched as he licked his lips, like he was tasting something before he could say it. "I'll see you tonight, _V_." He jogged away and left me on the edge of the field, completely dumbfounded by his use of my nickname. Apparently I wasn't the only one because after a few seconds, Stiles, who'd appeared beside me, asked, "Did Isaac just call you 'V'?"

"Why aren't you on the field?" I asked, evading his questions.

"I will be - in a minute," he said, sputtering quickly, "I-I just wanted to make sure things were okay. W-with you and Isaac."

That was sweet. "Wait, should I be afraid of him?"

"No, no. Of course not," he answered quickly, chewing on the net of his lacrosse stick. "I was just…."

I bit my lip out of nervousness, wondering if I failed some sort of pack loyalty test by being so friendly with Isaac so soon. "Yeah, Stiles?"

He just stared out onto the field, mouth opening and snapping shut several times. Shaking his head, Stiles finished speaking. "It's nothing. I'll see you later." He ran out to the field, supplying Coach with a believable, bullshit excuse. Kira shouted to me from the bleachers, "V, come on! We've got work to do!"

Right when I sat down, she asked, "What did both boys want with you?"

"Oh, um, well. I-Isaac asked me to partner up wit h-him for the b-business project," I stuttered. Why was I stuttering? Isaac was cute, sure, but working with him wasn't any reason to feel shy, or embarrassed. I hurriedly explained, "And Stiles was curious about why w-we were getting chummy."

"Sounds like Stiles is jealous."

"Jealous about what?" I shot her a quizzical expression. She rolled her eyes and, as if it were perfectly obvious to everyone but me, said, "Because you two are _bonding." _

"Oh my god, Kira. What bonding? We had our first one-on-one conversation ever and it was about school. There may have been some mild goofing off, but bonding? No one bonds that quickly."

"Werewolves do," she quipped. Raising both eyebrows with a hint of a smirk on her face, Kira pointed out, "You're blushing. That's what I thought." Through gritted teeth, I explained, "I'm blushing because you're embarrassing me by making something out of nothing. Isaac and I were working on a project. That's it. And Stiles does not like me like that."

"Whatever. When are you guys meeting up?" she asked, flipping through my spiral notebook for the AP Bio notes from a few days ago. I sighed, relieved that she was letting it go so easily. "Tonight. Your parents will be okay with it, right? We figured the sooner we started working, the better."

Kira smiled, a knowing look on her face, ready to reveal some big trick she had up her sleeves. "My parents won't be home tonight. They've got a meeting in Japan."

"A meeting?"

"Something about the nine-tailed kitsunes in our bloodlines meeting every so often to catch up, gamble, eat."

"I thought your mom sacrificed her tails to capture the nogitsune."

"She did; that's why she has to go. To tell them," she said, her eyes a million miles away. In a way that would have made only Lydia proud, Kira shook it out of her system quickly, and plastered a plastic grin onto her lips. "But that's not the point. The point is, you and Isaac have the house to yourselves all night long."

Wait. "Where are you gonna be tonight?" Her cheeks turned bright pink, reminiscent of the time Lydia called her a vixen.

"Scott and I have anniversary plans. We thought it'd be nice to do something special. We've been waiting essentially to make sure that it wouldn't be rushed in case of some supernatural disaster…."

"What are you talking — _Oh. _Sex. Really?"

Her shoulders lifted, her cheek pressed against the one closest to me, and her eyes were cast downward. "It's a big deal, I know. We have dated officially for six months now, and I trust him. I love him."

"That's good. I'm happy for you guys," I replied, putting a reassuring hand on her knee. Her eyes glanced upward at me, glimmering with a little bewilderment. Softly, Kira asked, "No lecture on waiting?"

"Of course not. Most people wouldn't approve of sex after six months, or even sex before marriage, but it's your decision. I haven't even had sex yet, so who am I to judge? I bet if you asked Lydia or Malia, they'd tell you the same things. It's okay. You trust him. He loves you. And besides, it's Scott. He'll take great care of you."

"You make it sound like we're getting married," she chirped, the red vanishing from her cheeks. "But I know what you mean. Thanks for the support." After a minute of glancing back at the notes in her lap, she added, "Though you might have to be careful around Isaac tonight."

My eyes widened, presumably giving me the appearance of a much more sheltered, innocent teenager than I actually was. "Kira!"

"I kid, I kid. Besides, you already have Stiles."

"Oh my god." I wanted to say more, but at that second I caught a glimpse of Stiles running up and down the field with more control and determination than I imagined from him. It was probably an after effect of the nogtisune. But he still had his moments: in true Stiles fashion, he tripped over his foot, flailing as he fell face first. He contorted his face in frustration, practically growling at the freshman. Returning to Kira, I gestured to the field. "I do not have Stiles. Or Isaac. I don't want to get involved in such complicated matters."

"Complicated how?"

"Isaac and Allison for starters. Who knows where he is about that. And Stiles has kissed both Lydia and Malia. And Lydia is one of my best friends here. It would be weird," I answered, finally able to put all thoughts about Stiles into words. I kept staring at the team as they ran through drills, my eyes shifting nervously back and forth between players. Isaac noticed, winking at me as he walked past. I muttered, "I can't compete with either of them."

She heard me anyway, a skill I chalked up to her supernatural alter ego. "I get it. I felt that way with Allison and Scott."

_Allison. _She mentioned once that seeing Scott with Kira made her sad, worried that she was losing him despite being the one to walk away. "She probably felt like that too about you."

"That's not possible. She was Allison. Kick ass. Beautiful. Always both, it was never either or with her," Kira whispered. "I miss her."

I wanted to say me too. I wanted to say I constantly missed her when I was awake and that I craved her physical presence. To physically witness the kick-ass and take-no-shit attitudes everyone used to describe her. "I wish I'd gotten to know her."

"You two would've gotten along so great," she said, laughing to herself at the irony of her statement. I laughed along, separately; if only she knew. If only everything.

* * *

The doorbell rang, and without checking through the peephole, I swung the door wide open, welcoming the breeze. And Isaac. "Hey there, Lahey."

He gave me an up-down. "I don't think I'd like to go by 'Lahey' now."

"That's too bad," I retorted, each word laced with a heavy dose of snark. He shrugged and replied, "Suppose I can't argue with that." The werewolf entered the house, politely closed the door behind him, and said, "You know you're supposed to ask who's at the door _before_ opening it."

"I knew it was you." I shrugged this time before dropping myself onto the couch and pulling out Kira's laptop she let me borrow.

Isaac sat beside me and asked, "How? Some kind of latent supernatural ability?"

"I assumed."

"So no." He placed his accounting book in his lap, opening it to the first few pages. "Didn't your parents teach you about stranger danger?"

"But you're not dangerous," I said, evading the entirety of his question. Reaching over to pinch his cheeks, I cooed, "You're just a cute were puppy. Yes you are."

"Hey!" He swatted at my hands and scooted as far from me as he could without fully insulting me. "Wait, cute?"

"Slip of the tongue, my new friend." Beaming at him, with what I hoped was filled with a little bit of cheekiness, I winked. He didn't wink back; instead he watched me, a smile forming on his own lips. My heart responded in kind to the drops of charm that were leaking, and I hoped, foolishly, his werewolf hearing wouldn't pick up on it. Or maybe he'd have the decency to ignore it. Isaac continued to smile, and while Allison warned of its powers, she also mentioned it happened rarely, as if it was a spectacle of all things. I turned away and saw the books on accounting and finance I borrowed from the school library, effectively reminding me (and spoiling the moment) of all the work we had.

Motioning towards the table, I said, "Guess we should get to work. We're not really behind, but we have to find balance sheets and income statements for a specific company for ten distinctly different time periods." Isaac tugged on his laptop until his messenger back released it and started to Google what I mentioned. After several quiet minutes, I groaned.

Without removing his eyes from the screen, he asked, "What?"

As I scribbled numbers into my notebook, I replied, "I didn't realize how much work there would be. It's making me…frustrated."

Maybe there was hesitation on his part, or maybe his wit took longer to collect, but there was an awkward lull before he asked, "Sexually?"

I booed. "You can't reuse jokes like that. That's so lame."

"What are you talking about?" he asked. I could feel his eyes resting on my profile, but I was on a roll with these numbers I was finding and barely paying attention to him anyway. I replied, "That joke. I've heard you say it before."

"That's- that's just not possible, Veronica." My name on his lips sounded sweet, and my heart skipped a beat. And definitely not for the reason it should have. Because I didn't even hesitate when I said, "You said it to Allison at the twins' Halloween rave."

"How could you know that?"

"Know what?" I copied down the interest rates of the loans the company had taken out immediately following the recession.

"About that conversation with Allison," he said slowly. Our entire conversation finally registered with me. Shit. Shit shit fuck. "No one else from the pack - or even Danny - knows about that. Because no one was with us."

"Um. Oh." I blanched. "I overheard it. I had been in Beacon Hills for awhile before actually registering for school. I didn't feel like starting in the middle of a semester."

"I can tell when you're lying," he deadpanned, running a hand through his hair.

I needed to cover my ass. Or come clean about everything now. Come clean about Allison. He stood, not letting me do either, and said, "Veronica. You need to tell me the truth or I go to Scott."

My cell phone started ringing. Stiles's goofy face was splayed across the screen. Grateful for the interruption, I said, "I need to get that. It could be important."

Practically shouting into my ear, Stiles blurted out, "Where are you, V? I need you."

"Bilinski, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. But you need to come here now. Where are you?"

"Kira's. You?"

"I'm at Derek's loft. Where's Kira?"

"I don't know, somewhere off with Scott. I've been with Isaac all night."

"Isaac? Were you guys — never mind. Come with him to Derek's."

"On our way," I said, clicking off my phone. Grabbing a jacket from the couch, I explained to Isaac, "Stiles needs us at Derek's."

I reached for my keys, but they slipped through my fingers. The clatter of keys against a glass table never came: Isaac caught them midair. "I'll drive." The werewolf put his hand against my back and whispered, "Everything's okay."

Nodding numbly, I opened the front door, welcomed by the cool air and dark night sky. The moon, a mere crescent shape, hovered above the two of us as we walked towards my car, on our way to something unknown.

"But don't think I'm gonna forget about this Allison conversation," Isaac reminded me.

Damn it.

* * *

**Author's Note: **This chapter has been heavily edited to match the way I wrote the most recent chapters.


	3. Confessions

We got to the loft in no time and Isaac parked my car next to Stiles's infamous blue jeep. The rest of our surroundings were covered in darkness, an eerie feeling sinking past my skin. There was no sign of Derek's black Camaro anywhere and when we entered Derek's apartment, there was no sign of Derek anywhere. I called out, "Stiles?"

"He's here," said a man in a black v-neck shirt; he stepped forward, gestured to Stiles sitting on the couch, and sat down beside him. "Peter Hale, pleased to meet you."

"Veronica Yang. Can't say the same based on the things I've heard." Peter's face remained unchanged, unimpressed by my attempt at snark, but Stiles snickered. His laughter prompted an annoyed glare from Peter, immediately shutting him and propping his elbows up on his knees.

"Now that the pleasantries have been exchanged," Derek's uncle said, shooting me a pointed look, "have either of you seen or spoken to my darling nephew?"

Isaac answered first: "Not since I got back, no." With Peter's eyes trained on me, I shook my head. "Never."

Stiles stood up. "Look, V. If you have, we won't hold it against you. It won't be strike two with Scott."

I was about to reaffirm my response when the former alpha werewolf cut me off. "What was strike one?"

"The pack didn't know I had knowledge of the supernatural, and their part in it," I explained, rubbing my hands together out of habit. "But I've never met Derek. Not the entire time that I've been here." Peter eyed me, suspiciously, debating whether or not I should be believed. It would've been out of character of him to believe me right away.

"It seems like he's been missing since we trapped the nogitsune, V." That was it. That was why Stiles called me and not Lydia or Isaac after Scott neglected to answer his own phone. Because Derek disappeared after my arrival into town. Before I had a chance to defend myself, Isaac redirected everyone's trains of thought. "You mean to tell me that since I left for Europe with Argent, none of you noticed that Derek was gone? Without a goodbye?"

Seeing a flash of shame cross Peter's face, he added, "That's ridiculous."

"I know, I know. I've been a horrible guardian for my poor nephew," he said. "But I honestly thought he went to go check on Cora in Argentina. Yesterday though, she called, saying she hadn't heard from him in awhile." Stiles patted him on the back, quickly retracting his hand when Peter's eyes turned blue.

"Well, I'll talk to Lydia and Scott as soon as I can. And we'll see if her banshee powers can locate him." Peter nodded absentmindedly, his attention span no longer caring about us teenagers, and he vanished - presumably back to his own apartment.

The three of us walked to our cars, after locking up Derek's loft, and stood around. Stiles looked from me to Isaac to me again and asked, "What were you two doing together tonight?" My eyebrow shot up at his slightly accusatory tone, a fact Kira undoubtedly would have teased us about.

But I brushed it off. "We're partners for the semester business project."

"Oh, yeah. I'm really glad I decided to take second level economics with Coach Finstock instead," he scoffed. "But I didn't think any of the pack would willingly enroll for a college business class at Beacon Hills."

Isaac and I shrugged in sync. "What can I say? I enjoy pouring through balance sheets and analyzing why the retained earnings of a company decreased or increased." Both boys stared blankly at me. I winked at them and said, "What? You love my wonderful wit and you know it."

Ignoring me, Stiles asked, "Where was Kira."

Crossing my arms across my chest, I gently jogged his memory, "With Scott. 'Special' plans and things." He smacked himself in the forehead. "I totally forgot. I called him ten times! Probably while they were doing it! Yuck."

"Kira and Scott's first time tonight?"

"Yes," I said. "But it's not our business. It's theirs. Anyway, Lahey, let's go back to my place." He jingled my keys, letting me know he'd drive, and headed to my car. To Stiles, I said, "I'll see ya at the game tomorrow night?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah. You will." He said, nodding over enthusiastically. "Um, V? Are you sure you should be spending time alone with Isaac?" I glanced over at my car, Isaac sitting cooly in the driver's seat, reclined. The moon still hung up over our heads, ominously, despite it's thin sliver shape. "What do you mean?"

Stiles pulled me back behind his Jeep, out of sight from my car, and said softly, "I just want to make sure you're safe."

"I'll ask you one more time: should I be afraid of Isaac?" He shook his head. "That's not what I'm saying, V. I mean, yeah, Isaac's had a bit of a shifting problem before but I'm sure he's better now. I just mean. I-I care about you, okay?"

"I'm fine. I can handle myself. Plus I've got the big were puppy over there to take care of me."

"Okay, but I —" Stiles stopped himself from finishing his protests. He sighed in defeat and said, "It's nothing. I'll see you at the game. With posters." He pulled me in for a quick hug, my head perfectly fitting in the crook of his neck. I unintentionally inhaled his scent, and smiled. Instantly I stepped away from him, and promised, "You'll get the posters."

I walked over to the passenger side of my car and got in, the smile I had with Stiles still stupidly glued onto my face. Isaac drove us back home and as the silent set in, my nerves fired up as I remembered what he wanted to talk to me about. What he wanted me to reveal. My smile slid off my mouth and I chewed on my bottom lip. Did he expect us to talk in the car? Or at the Yukimura's? I was so not ready for this. But instead of starting a conversation, he drove silently, taking his time. My legs pressed together tightly and I leaned against the passenger door, slowing my heart rate to the vibrations of the road.

I felt him peek over at me as he said, "Are you okay?"

"I think so," I said, a half-shrug coming on to my shoulders. "I'm not entirely sure what to make of this."

"Don't worry, Stiles and I will get in touch with the other two tonight and figure out a game plan to find Derek." I tucked my hands under my thighs and shifted uncomfortably. Whispering, I asked, "What if Scott thinks what everyone else was thinking back there?"

"Exactly what were we thinking, Veronica?"

"That Derek's been missing since I got to Beacon Hills. That maybe I'm not being honest about myself." It might've been true, but that didn't mean I wanted any of the pack members to think like that. Isaac said, as reassuringly as possible, "No one will believe that you could've done anything to _Derek Hale_. He's a pretty powerful werewolf - at least when he's winning. And you. You're a tiny human with no supernatural abilities other than an incredibly acute sense of the supernatural."

But it was so much more than that. So much worse. Dreams about a dead girl, a feeling that she was always with me, and that one incident that happened right before I came to Beacon Hills. I sighed heavily, a little grateful that he was already trying to ease my concerns when he knew I was keeping something from him. "What are you thinking?"

"About strikes two through a hundred," I replied as he parked the car in the driveway. We headed into the house, with him tailing me as I made my way to the guest room - my room. He perched himself on the corner of my bed and I closed the door, leaning safely against it. "First. I told the truth when I said I had no clue where Derek was."

"I know. Peter knows. Heartbeat was even."

"But the second thing is that I haven't told you guys everything. And I'm not sure where to start." Isaac tilted his head, expectantly. "Why don't you start with Allison?"

With my eyes closed, I started to rattle. "She told me the joke. We were hanging out and sometimes we told each other stories about our past lives, the only difference being hers were much more interesting than mine. And oh. I guess. It's because I dream about her." I walked towards my desk and then back to the door. "Every night. And I know it's real, it's not a figment of my imagination. Because if I'm going to hallucinate, how is it possible that I'm envisioning someone - and having conversations with her - I've never met? And, so she showed me the memory of the rave, where you said the joke…."

Isaac nodded along, seemingly already accepting of this. "So when did they start? The dreams?"

"You believe me?" I asked, nervously stopping mid-pace. He smirked. "I'm a werewolf, Veronica."

"Good point. The dreams started the night before I drove into town." Isaac shrugged his jacket off and changed positions, swinging his legs onto the bed and asking, "What's the connection between Allison and your arrival?"

"The one thing I lied about to you guys is that Danny never told me Ethan knew. The truth is, Ethan told me himself when I met him. Completely coincidental."

"It was the night of the full moon following his departure from here. From Aiden's death. I was driving up the coast, it was the day I got a car, the Corolla, and I thought I'd find a better women's shelter up here in NorCal."

"Women's shelter?" He repeated carefully. Again, I paced up and down the room, my hand reaching out and lightly moving across the empty wall. I answered, "I have no family. My parents gave me up for adoption when I was a baby, and I never got adopted. Instead, I was tossed around the system until I was 16. Then I lived in shelters, tried to go to school, and worked at fast food joints to save for a car. Then I got one, started my trek up the state, only to stop at rest stop near the woods when I ran into a guy.

And remember how I have a useless talent where when I touch a supernatural creature, I just know what creature they are? Well, when I touched him, I saw his brother dying. Before, when I figured out what exactly it was that I was seeing, I decided avoid physical contact with people. But when I touched him, I was so stunned and all I could say was 'I'm so sorry about Aiden.' That vision stuck with me and I kept repeating 'I'm so sorry about Aiden.' He looked at me in awe and when I was finally calm, I explained everything to him. And in turn, he told me about Beacon Hills and said that maybe you could help me."

"And the dreams started that night?"

I nodded. "Allison appeared and convinced me that everything I needed to know was here, with all of you. She taught me about Scott and Lydia and you and Isaac. On my first day of school, when I saw that Scott was down a few betas, I decided to lay low. Avoid him. After about a week, I realized no one could help me and I was gonna disappear but Kira reached out to me."

He clasped his hands together. Then let go and ran one through his hair. "Uh. What did you need help with?"

"I wanted to figure out what I was." I sat down next to him, collapsing onto my back in frustration. "Why I dreamt and talked to dead people. Why I do what I do. But I gave up on that. I stopped caring. My powers never developed beyond that and it's not like—"

"Not like what?" I felt his gaze shift over to me, looking down at my face. Covering my eyes with my arm, I replied, "One night, a couple years ago, I woke up to myself sleepwalking. I was sitting next to a dying body, holding his hand. Comforting him or something. I don't know. It never happened again and I didn't sense him dying, so I can't be a banshee. I didn't scream."

Abruptly, I sat back up. Isaac loosely draped his arm around me, murmuring, "Okay, okay."

When I turned to see his face, I realized we were only inches apart. My heart, of course, responded in kind. Ignoring it, I asked, "Are you mad?"

"No, of course not," he answered, like I was an idiot. "You have every right to keep this from the pack. We all pretend we're okay, but none of us will ever get over her death. But now I know and I have to tell Scott."

The unwavering loyalty. "I understand. I want to be there though." We sat side by side, his arm still around me, hovering slightly. My mind ventured over to Derek again and Isaac read my mind again. "Scott won't hurt you. He won't believe you had anything to do with Derek."

I didn't answer, instead just leaning my head against his shoulder. Awkwardly. He nudged me with his shoulder, making me bump my head, and said, "You're part of the pack, you know? We take care of our own."

Isaac stood, pulling me up into a hug. He was warm and our height difference was perfect enough for him to rest his chin comfortably on my head. I yawned. "I guess I better go. Will you be safe here?"

"I should be okay," I said. Isaac reached for the doorknob. "Out of curiosity, Where do you stay?"

"Sometimes Scott's, Lydia's when I can't really be around him. Why?"

"I wanted to know. Extend an invitation to this house if you ever needed it," I answered, smiling. "Pay it forward and all that. The Yukimuras probably wouldn't mind."

"Are you scared about staying here alone?"

I squinted at him and his ability to see right through my bullshit. "Maybe. I haven't been alone in this house, and it's in a town that's notorious for supernatural catastrophes."

"I can sleep with you tonight," he offered. Once the words slipped past his tongue, he winced visibly at his suggestion. He lifted his hands in defense and backpedaled. "I didn't mean it like that."

Laughing, I grabbed all of my things to go get ready for bed. Looking back at him, I said, "Go ahead and get comfortable. I'll bring you the sleeping bag."

"You're gonna leave me on the floor? This bed is big enough for the both of us, Veronica!" he called after me. Things with Isaac were easy; it was easy to tell him all of my secrets. And he seemed okay talking to me about Allison and Scott. Maybe I had found that one person who understood me.

Grabbing the sleeping bag from the hallway closet, I took several slow, deep breaths and walked back into the room. Isaac took the bag from my hands and laid it across the floor before peeling off his jeans. I crawled into my bed, my arm hanging off the edge, and fell asleep within minutes. Throughout the night, I could hear Isaac moving around in the sleeping bag. His fingers reached up and grazed mine every so often, so softly.

For the first time in eight months, I didn't dream about Allison:

_I couldn't find her. She wasn't walking towards me or sitting, patiently waiting, at our spot in the woods. Allison was no where. I called out, "Allison? Are you here?"_

_No response. Barely crickets. A fog, thicker than normal, rolled over through our area in the woods, and soon a woman I almost recognized appeared. She didn't look at me or make any acknowledgment of my presence. I almost said something, but then her face started to turn, but not into a werewolf. She turned blue and canines that resembled coyotes' more than wolves' appeared in her mouth. The woman howled, and I started to scream._


	4. Exiled

_"It's okay if you tell them now. I promise."_

_"Allison—"_

_"If it's what you need to do to get them to trust you. Do it. Soon."_

* * *

Isaac put his hand on one of my wrists, which were covered in bright red scratches - a bad habit of mine I picked up from somewhere. Scott and Kira were studying the two of us, but the beta werewolf paid them no mind, his attention on me instead. On the other side of the island, Lydia sat prim and properly, legs crossed, and her hair perfectly fixed into a messy bun.

The strawberry blonde tilted her head and asked, "How did you not notice that Derek was missing?"

"It's not like you noticed either, you're a banshee!" Scott exclaimed. Pursing her lips tightly, she glanced up at him, and said, "I only scream when people are close to death, Scott. Clearly, he's not close."

The tension hung in the air, Derek's name hovering over all of us. My added secrets were tacked on too between Isaac and me. Changing the subject, Kira asked, "Where are Malia and Stiles?"

I chirped, "They're on their way. Stiles had to go pick her up." Kira looked at me questioningly, but before I had a chance to pursue her cryptic expression, the aforementioned human came bumbling in. Without Malia.

"Sorry, guys," he apologized, "Malia had to go meet up with a tutor today to make sure she doesn't fall behind in classes. Especially since she bullshitted her way through the last half of junior year."

"I should've noticed: he stopped answering my texts."

Stiles asked, "Does Derek usually answer your texts?" I snorted at his question, his face reading highly offended. "What? He never answers _my_ texts."

Isaac retorted, "As sobering as it is to see Stiles so distraught, we need to figure out who has him." My shoulders drooped and I lowered my gaze to my lap. Isaac still held onto my wrists - not tightly. Clearing his throat, Stiles stuttered, "Uh, about that. Peter, uh, thinks V has him."

"What? Why would he think that?"

"Because she kept secrets from us."

"Okay, but you explained to him that we sorted all of that out, right? She told us everything."

"Yeah, but it's Peter. Those that are distrustful distrust everyone, Scott." Isaac nudged me with his elbow, prompting me to peek back up at the boys. "Um, guys?"

Stiles's face fell. "Oh no."

"What?"

"No, no. I don't know where Derek is," I replied quickly, "But there's one last thing I haven't told you yet. Mostly because I don't understand it and I pushed it to the back of my mind. It didn't seem important."

"But it's important now?" Lydia asked, the skepticism in her voice not going unnoticed. Isaac's hand moved to gently rest on the small of my back, and I smiled in appreciation. "It is. Because I want you to trust me completely, because you have all the facts."

"Awfully convenient though, isn't it? Derek missing comes to light and you need to cover it up." The banshee lifted a finger to her forehead and swiped away some loose strands of hair, with grace and a touch of arrogance.

"Hold up," Stiles interrupted, on the cusp of defending me, "what do you need to tell us?"

"I can communicate with spirits."

"Li-like dead people?" Kira breathed. Immediately, their faces went blank, but their eyes all glimmered with one word in mind: _Allison_.

"Exactly like dead people," I answered. "But so far, it's only been through dreams. And as far as actual interaction goes, it's only been with Allison." Stiles reached over and clasped his hand over Scott's shoulder reassuringly. "She didn't want you to get hung up on her, now that there's a slightly more direct channel of communication with her. She wanted you guys to move on. That's also why I didn't tell you."

"We're supposed to just trust you on this? Blindly?" I drew a sharp breath. I knew I was asking a lot from them, to immediately accept these secrets with no evidence. But neither I nor Allison had expected such backlash from Lydia. Scott pressed his palms against the island and backed away to the fridge. Isaac jumped in and said, "She knows things about us that could have only come from Allison herself."

Scott was facing the fridge now, his back to us, and put a fist against it. "Like what?" he whispered. The muscles in his arms were tightening as his fists curled inward, claws digging in to keep from shifting. I caught a glimpse of Kira, her eyes trained on her boyfriend and the corners of mouth starting to crumble at his reactions.

I thought back to stories Allison mentioned about her and Scott, when they were alone, and said, "This might be a painful one, but for lack of a better memory: when she broke up with you, she said that there was so no such thing as fate. And you replied that there was no such thing as werewolves."

He slammed his fist into the fridge, creating a mild dent in it, and barked, "You're out."

"What?" was the first thing that came out of Stiles's mouth, not mine. My mouth opened to speak, but Scott glowered at me, and I shut my mouth back closed. While Lydia nodded in agreement with her Alpha, Isaac put his arm protectively around my shoulders. "You can't mean that."

"I do. You can go, Veronica." I turned away at his words since I didn't want to fight back and headed towards the door. The first few steps I took were slow, but not steady, like I was moving through water. Tears welled, falling slowly, but I knew that despite this sadness, this disappointment, they were right. They couldn't trust me. I hid and I lied - mst importantly, I hid and I lied about Allison.

But a hand wrapped around my wrist and another slipped my keys out of my hand. Stiles and Isaac fell into step with me as we exited the McCalls'. I wanted to turn around and catch one last glimpse of the pack, but the boys rushed me out before I could. They got into the front of my car and drove, with me in the back.

When the car jerked to a stop, I heard Isaac growl under his breath. "Couldn't park any better than that, Stilinski?"

"Oh shut up," he snapped. I felt him twist his body around to me, and he softened his voice. "V, let's go inside." I hesitated, not wanting to see the Yukimura's, but when Isaac opened the door for me, I realized we were at the Stilinski's.

"Why are we here?"

"The three of us need to talk. And you might not be welcome at Kira's anymore." Because she was part of Scott's pack and I wasn't. But I still didn't understand why Scott's most loyal betas were with me, and not against me. Stiles led us to his room; his walls were bare, except for a few pieces of red string, and there were stacks of books on his desk. He pulled me down beside him, arm around me, and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm confused. What are you two doing?"

"Scott's upset, V. We're letting him cool off. But in the mean time, we need to watch over you."

"Is he that mad he'll attack me?" They exchanged looks, like they were deciding whether to let me in on their secrets. Isaac explained, "While you were talking, I felt more protective, defensive. Scott, on the other hand, was getting angrier."

"I noticed. What about you?" I asked Stiles. He stuttered, "Uh. I-I was scared. Like I didn't understand what was about to happen. Even though I know Scott and he wouldn't kill you. But, he, uh, was changing while you were walking towards the door."

"We needed to make sure you were okay," Isaac added. I quipped, "Aw, Lahey. You care."

His face was somber, sad almost. So was Stiles's. My joke hadn't covered up how I was really feeling, but they could see it anyway: my body was shaking, I was on the verge of tears again. Stiles tightened his arm around me - and Isaac may or may not have growled in response. But I chalked it up as one of those incomprehensible noises that boys made. "You'll stay here with me for awhile."

"Is your dad okay with that?"

"Well, he doesn't know yet," he answered, a big grin on his face anyway. "But I'll talk to him."

Isaac stepped towards the two of us, and said, "One more thing: we're going to start trying to figure out what you are. Because after today, you're definitely not human."

"You think I'm the reason everyone's emotions were weird?"

Stiles said, "I don't know, but, uh, Lydia. She's on Scott's side which is a bit-"

"Disadvantageous," I finished for him. "Which is understandable." He sighed and ran a hand through his ever-so-spiky hair. "You're still coming to the game tonight?"

"Of course. I have the poster, y'know." The three of us sat there for a little bit, silent. We sat together and listened for the front door to open. When it did, Stiles clambered downstairs to greet his dad. Isaac and I watched him leave before he leaned against the wall next to the bed. The werewolf tugged me along with him, wrapping his arms comfortingly around me. I leaned into him, grateful.

Isaac said, "It sucks. I used to be someone Scott didn't fully trust too. But he'll come around, especially if we know what you are."

"I thought he was a true Alpha because he saw the good in everyone."

"He's a true Alpha because he wants to protect everyone."

* * *

The crowd screamed and cheered for the boys' lacrosse team as Stiles ran down the field to the goal, easily catching the ball in his net, and scoring the winning shot. Coach Finstock let out a shout of glee, failing to stifle his joy. Once the referees blew the final whistle, students and parents ran out on the field to congratulate them. With my two posters clutched under my arm, I went hunting for Isaac, but found Stiles first.

We stood close, surrounded by everyone pushing around and against us, screaming. I yelled, "Great job!"

He pulled me into a hug, swinging me around a little, and I dropped my posters. We laughed as he finally put me down, our eyes trained on each other the very moment we we pulled apart. Stiles leaned forward, his lips brushing my ear, and I ignored the shivers going down my spine as he said, "Thanks, V. I love the poster."

A smile broke out across my face, the most genuine one I had all day. "I'm glad, you did so great. I teased, "You probably should go to talk to the groupies, Mr. Star Player."

He rolled his eyes at my comments. "Nah, that's still Scott. He did score, like, most of the points." Someone pushed past me, shoving me closer to Stiles. He lifted his hand to my face and brushed a few strands of hair away. My skin blushed deep red, and I felt the heat spread from my neck to my ears. He added, "Besides, I'd rather talk to you."

"That may be, but I have a few other teammates to get to," I said, gesturing to the other poster I was holding onto. I finally moved away from him and was about to disappear back into the crowd, but something stopped me. Instead, I stepped up to him, one hand on his shoulder, and pushed myself onto my toes to kiss him on the cheek. "Great job, Stiles."

My own cheeks still felt hot and I resisted the urge to look back and see his reaction. Once I was surrounded by the throng of BHHS supporters, I groaned inaudibly. It was stupid of me to kiss him: yeah, he was cute, but Malia. And Lydia. My thoughts were so consuming that I tripped over someone's shoe and almost fell flat on my face, but a strong pair of arms caught me.

"Watch out, Veronica."

I looked at Scott curiously as he helped lift me back onto my feet. "Nice catch, McCall. Nice game too."

"Thanks," he answered, face still rigid. I stood awkwardly in front of him and tried to smile with teeth. The discomfort on his face was evident, but vanished as soon as he caught someone's attention behind me. He said, "I see my mom and Kira. I'll talk to you later."

Scott walked past me, unable to move my feet. He clearly hadn't forgiven me yet, but he definitely wasn't as angry as he was this morning. But then again, he just won his first lacrosse game of the season and as full captain.

I shook him from my mind, again searching for Isaac. Lahey was standing on the opposite end of the field and I made my way through the swarm of students and parents to get to him. I breathed, "Hey you."

"Hey." I handed him his 'Go LAHEY!' poster gleefully and watched a small smile play out on to his lips. I was about to congratulate him but I froze, seeing something in the shadows of the trees on the edge of the field.

The something turned into a limping silhouette of a person. I ignored Isaac's questions of concern and pointed to where I saw the figure emerging behind him. "Is that…. T-that's Derek."

Derek Hale faltered while trying to make his way to field, but still remain hidden by the darkness. I took Isaac's hand in mine and pulled him, with as much strength I could muster, over to the fallen werewolf. When we reached him, Isaac half-picked him up, putting Derek's arm around his shoulders. He said, "This made our job a lot easier."

Ignoring his sass, Derek swung his head slightly to the side and whispered, "She trapped me."

"Who trapped you?"

"Kate."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Just a short update. I'm working on picking things up but we'll see. As always, please review! It helps me know what I can do better story-wise. Or if I made any noticeable errors. Thank you, loves!


	5. From the Dead

Isaac, Derek, and I ended up parked outside the Yukimura's, unsure of whether we would be allowed in. "Just call her."

"Why can't you?" I shot back. He scowled at me and as Derek started to groan, guilt started to creep in. I sucked in my cheeks and dug through my purse for my phone. I dialed her number as quickly as possible and when she answered, the chatter from the game was still as loud as it was when we left. "Kira, tell Scott and Stiles we found Derek."

"What?"

I got out of the car, wedging my phone between my ear and shoulder, and said, "We're at your house right now. We didn't know where else to go."

"Okay, okay," she said. I started to open the front door as Isaac lugged the wounded werewolf out of the back seat. Kira whispered, "Be safe, V." Once inside, I cleared off the kitchen table for Derek to lay down on. He groaned again, the healing process seeming to be starting.

Isaac and I dropped down into chairs across the way, our eyes on each other. "What do we with him now?" I asked. He was about to shrug in frustration, but his eyes suddenly lit up. "Yeah, Lahey?"

"What if you touched him?" I started to cough in response: "S-sorry?"

"You said when you touched Ethan, you saw Aiden's death. If you touch Derek or his wounds, maybe you could see how he started to die," he suggested. I rolled my eyes and muttered, "You cannot be serious."

But I couldn't hide my small smile of disbelief. He stared at me expectantly and since the rest of the pack hadn't arrived yet, I figured I might as well. I stood and carefully lifted Derek's torn shirt to reveal another open wound on his finely chiseled abdomen, placing my fingers gently on it.

_Opening my eyes, I saw the fog roll into Derek's loft. Slowly, a bullet dug into his chest, and he dropped to his knees. _

_"It's real," he gasped, "you're real." The low hanging smoke thickened, enveloping Derek, and Kate stepped forward, fangs growing and face turning. _

Tears dribbled down my cheeks, staining my face. Connecting with Derek must be emotionally exhausting for me. I noticed the wound closing quickly so I reached around his body to find another gash in case his healing process quickened exponentially.

_It was pitch black, but Derek's face shone despite it. He was bruised and bloodied. There was an arrow lodged into his right shoulder. Standing over him, Kate appeared and taunted him. "Your little werewolves are at risk, Derek. Don't you want to help them?" _

_Ignoring her threats, he asked, "What are you?" _

_"Oh sweetie, I'm a werecoyote," she answered, her laugh circling around the small space. _

When the memory ended, I looked for another injury.

_"There's a war brewing, Derek," Kate's voice whispered, but she was nowhere in sight. He started to cough, his throat completely dry, looked up at what I couldn't see. "You're starting a war between wolves and coyotes?" _

_"Don't be so conceited. I'm starting a war between the trickster spirits." _

And then another.

_This time, there was a little more light streaming in, showing me that they weren't in a room, but a cave. Derek, stilled tied up but without the arrow, hung his head low as Kate sat next to him, her hand lightly tracing a patch of recently healed skin. "Derek, you don't know how much I've missed you. In fact, I _need_ you."_  
_He raised his head, a glare forming in his eyes, and hissed at her, "Liar. Why do you really want me?" She sighed. "Always so skeptical of me. Can't you trust me?" _

Again.

_Kate grazed his cheek with a finger, and when he ignored her question, spat, "I need you to convince your little Scott McCall to fight with me." _

_"With you or for you?" _

_"Ally would've wanted him to fight with her aunt." Her laugh echoed against the cave walls. A small scoff escaped past his lips. "She wouldn't have wanted that for him." _

_"I'm warning you, Derek. If he doesn't join me, he won't be able to trust the other side. Not to mention, I'll have a few tricks up my sleeve when I come back to Beacon Hills." _

_Derek glared at her retreating figure and asked, "Whose side?"_

"What are you doing to him?" Scott demanded as Lydia, Stiles, and Kira trailed quietly behind him into the kitchen. His outburst brought me back to the present and I realized that all of his wounds had healed, but Derek's blood was still on my hands. Isaac wrapped a damp towel around my numb fingers, wiping it off, and defended me, "She didn't do anything, Scott. We found him together. This was all Kate."

I barely registered the confusion that crossed over his face as I stepped away from the table. "Kate Argent?" Isaac nodded in response. They all looked at each other in understanding, finally knowing what they were up against. Except Kira.

"Who's Kate?" The boys paused, hesitant to answer. Stiles's eyes filled with guilt while the other two exchanged awkward glances. Stiles lifted his arm to scratch the back of his neck and remarked, without fully answering Kira's question, "Well, we were at her funeral. I'd like to know how she got out of a casket that was buried six feet underground."

Scott shook his head, and said, "Obviously, she was never in it."

"She was Allison's aunt," Lydia added, "And a total sociopath."

Kira, studying their distant faces, conceded, "Look, you don't have to talk about it now if you don't want to." Her boyfriend shook his head, disagreeing, "No, no. You guys deserve to know about her. You need to know."

"All right," Stiles started, directing his gaze more towards Kira instead of me, "Kate was the one who set the fire that killed most of Derek's family."

It was uncanny: the words from their mouths were essentially the same words Allison spoke when she recounted the story of her aunt. The next thing Scott said was verbatim: "Some of them survived, like Cora. And Peter."

Lydia rolled her head and continued, "A very angry Peter. The one who bit and turned Scott."

"The one who finally caught up to Kate and killed her," Isaac finished off for the pack, walking off into the kitchen to deposit the bloody towel in the sink. Kira smiled awkwardly at them, a little grateful, but mostly regretting asking the question. She gestured the pack to leave Derek alone on the table, guiding us to her living. The four of us plopped onto her love seat and couch (me on the love seat, them on the couch) and she turned the attention back to me. "How do you know Kate took him?"

"He told us right before he collapsed on the edge of the field," I answered as Isaac walked i, taking the space beside me. He informed them, "Derek was worse off earlier. But V helped his healing process along."

Scott whipped his head to me, mouth gaping, finally making eye contact with me."S-she what?"

"She healed him. I don't know how exactly, but she used her supernatural touch to get information the way she did with Ethan."

"Right, you mentioned that," he grunted. Reluctantly, the Alpha asked, "What did you see?"

"I saw Kate. Turning into a werecoyote. She obviously wasn't in the casket, because by the funeral she had already been turned." Seeing the looks of confusion on their faces, Stiles explained, "It was the scratch from Peter that caused it: his claws went deep enough."

"Sometimes," Scott muttered to himself, "the shape you take reflects the person that you are."

"What shape is psychopathic bitch?" Lydia asked, stretching her lips horizontally across her face. I chuckled and the corner of her mouth started to twitch upwards. "What else did you see?"

I answered, "Kate kidnapped Derek and tried to force him to fight on her side. It happened after the nogitsune and that's where he's been ever since."

"Why would Derek take her side?" Stiles asked, almost offended at the prospect.

"It sounded like she was trying to start a war."

"What war?" he asked, his eyebrows furrowing to the middle of his face. "One between wolves and coyotes?" I laughed to myself, remembering Allison mentioning how alike Scott's and Derek's line of thinking were.

"Between trickster spirits." Kira and Scott exchanged wide-eye looks. He reached over, gripping her hand tightly, and asked, "Fox and coyote spirits?"

I shrugged. Someone's phone beeped and Lydia notified us, "Deaton is on his way to check on Derek. After that he'll stay with Scott since he's got the security system set up with his mom."

"And since we don't know where Kate was keeping him, Isaac, I'll need some extra help with taking care of him," Scott ordered. I nodded and smiled. "Thanks, V-Veronica. Seriously."

Accepting his thanks, I assumed that was it and stood up, ready to leave, when he kept speaking, voice low and deliberate, "But this doesn't mean I trust you again. You may have helped Derek but we still don't know what you are. Or who you are. Those two might trust you, but I can't. And I'm the Alpha." Ouch. His words hurt, especially considering how strongly he weighed Isaac's and Stiles's advice about the homicidal twins last year.

"Okay, I'll just show myself out now. Bye guys." Making my way to the door, I could hear Kira scolding her boyfriend for his "irrational behavior."

* * *

Several days later, I was leaning against the wall by Stiles's bed, my head resting comfortably on his shoulder while I skimmed through a book on Coyote spirit folklore. Every now and then, he would tilt his own against mine, prompting me to sigh out of contentment. For the thousandth time though, he asked, with concern dripping on each word, "You were definitely okay last night?"

"Stiles." I bit my lip and turned my head against him, my forehead touching his cheek, and said, "It was fine. Your bed is big enough for the two of us, though I could sleep downstairs on the couch. I'm sure your dad will love —"

"You're staying up here so I can watch you."

I lifted my hands in protest: "Whoa there, Edward Cullen."

"Ha ha. You're sure you're sleeping well?"

"Yes, Stilinski," I answered again, pushing my hands against his chest playfully. "It was last night and the night before that and the night before that."

"You think you're hilarious today," he snorted, before scooting down to lay down. "I'm gonna take a nap now since we're getting nowhere."

"What do you mean we're getting nowhere? I've read a lot of interesting things today," I insisted, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Face it, we're lost without Lydia," he reminded me, closing his eyes and throwing his arm across his face to block the sunlight out. I relaxed my body in understanding; without her brain, we didn't even know if we were looking in the right places at the right stories.

"And I thought Isaac was supposed to be super loyal one to Scott."

"He is, but he, like me, also understands that sometimes Scott is wrong. And when it comes to Lydia, she's his first beta now, if we're getting technical about it. After Allison died, they relied heavily on each other."

"Why not Kira?"

"Kira kept her distance; you probably couldn't tell since you had just gotten here. But Kira understood that Scott needed to grieve and to grieve properly, he had to do it with Lydia."

"And you?"

"They needed each other a lot more, V. Besides, I couldn't-" his voice broke. Stiles whispered, more to himself than to me, "The pain in their eyes was too much for me to deal with. I guess." I gently touched his cheek, stroking away a fallen eyelash. The guilt was apparent: his mouth drooped, eyebrows slightly arched. "I made it through though."

I yawned, hand still laying against him. He reached around me, tugging me downward. Ignoring the shiver running down my spine, Stiles claimed, "You're tired too. Come nap with me, V."

"I can't," I protested, moving my hand away abruptly. "I did find some interesting things about the Coyote spirit and its trickster-ness."

"Okay," he conceded, "Read to me." Stiles uncovered his eyes, tucking his arms behind his head and staring at me expectantly. I picked up my book again and flipped past several pages to where I left off. I laid down next to him and read, "'The trickster spirit breaks the conforms of gods or nature, occasionally out of malice but mostly out of positive intentions. The bending of rules is usually through cunning tricks. Famous trickster include Prometheus, the Coyote spirit, the Fox spirit, and the Raven spirit.'"

"But not wolves?" he mumbled.

I shook my head, despite knowing his eyes were closed as he slowly drifted off to sleep, adding, "Werewolves are shape-shifters. Their human forms typically aren't consumed by outside spirits. But there are some cases where lycanthropy occurs through spiritual means, not just physical like bites and scratches."

"The war Kate is starting, could it be titans versus coyotes?" Pursing my lips, I responded, "More likely, kitsunes and coyotes."

Stiles murmured, "What about these raven things?"

"Those are tricky. Based on internet research, it doesn't look like anyone has experienced them for hundreds of years. But in mythology, ravens are either closely associated with death or good luck."

"Hmmm." I glanced up from my book. Stiles was asleep on his side; his body was curled around me. Tittering quietly to myself, I noted that he somehow managed to spoon me. But in his sleep, he reached out for my hand, gently touching it as he fell into a deeper slumber.

My eyes felt heavy so I nudged him back a little to lay in front of him. His body naturally contorted to provide comfort. When I stopped moving, drifting off, Stiles put his hand on my hip. My shirt rode upwards and his thumb found my exposed waist, lightly tracing circles until we both fell sound asleep.

* * *

_Allison put both hands on my shoulders and said, sternly, "I'm glad Derek is safe. And do not trust Kate. I made that mistake once."_

_"But she's your aunt," I pointed out._

_She sighed, relenting."Trust her a little bit. But don't become her allies until you're sure the other side is a bigger threat to Beacon Hills."_

_"Okay, Ally." I hugged her._

_"One more thing: you need to be trained. I think you'll like daggers."_

* * *

**Author's Note: **As always, I hope you're enjoying! Please leave a review if you have the time! (:

(Also this has been revised to include snippets from the actual season 4 to make this a stronger slight AU of mine)


	6. A Bump in the Night

A loud rapping at the door brought me back from my conversation with Allison. I woke up from my nap, face-to-face with Stiles, to go open the door. Sleeping beside - with? - him was comforting - it made me feel safe. I carefully pulled out from under his arm, which had still been draped across my slightly exposed waist, and yawned again, rubbing my eyes. Scott came in, clearly unsurprised by presence on his best friend's bed, and sat down at the desk.

"I knew you'd be here," he greeted as soon as he got comfortable. I glanced back over at Stiles and whispered, "Should I wake him up?"

Placing my hand on Stiles's arm, I leaned in, resisting the urge to mess with him and brush my lips against his ear, and said, "Yo, Stilinski! Get your ass up, man!" He shot up, instantly alert, whipping his head side-to-side at the sight of me and Scott sitting across from each other pleasantly.

"What's up?"

Scott's muscles tensed, and with a compromising look, said, "Isaac has been rallying for you. That banning you was not the best idea. I thought it was, especially because Lydia repeatedly affirmed my decision and her opinion means a great deal to me." Ouch. I knew deep down that my friendship with Lydia was nowhere near hers and Allison's or hers and Scott's or even mine and Kira's. But I didn't expect her to be against me that much.

But I said, "I understand. I kept a lot about myself hidden from you guys."

"You did, V," he said. I felt Stiles perk up beside me at the use of my nickname, and I couldn't help but lower my shoulders in relaxation as well. "But, Isaac also appealed in the sense that as an Alpha, I need to be strategic about who I keep close to me. And if you are a threat-" I was about to protest but he waved me off "If you are a threat, I need you where I can see you. And just because you don't think you're a threat, doesn't mean you aren't. You could end up in a fugue state like Lydia."

Stiles interjected. "That's great then! We're all back and working together."

"Sh-Stiles. She isn't- You aren't," he directed towards me, "officially part of the pack. But once we determine why you can do what you can do, we'll make our decision then. _As a pack." _

"That's completely reasonable," I said, jumping in before Stiles could protest Scott's conditions. Then, remembering Allison, I asked, "What about training? I know training your potential enemy might fall into the category of not a smart Alpha move, but I don't want to feel weak."

Allison suddenly flashed in my mind again, saying firmly, definitively:

_"I felt utterly weak. I hate that feeling! I want to feel stronger than that. I want to feel powerful." _

Scott agreed with me. "I was about to suggest that; I talked to Chris Argent about it already."

The human boy next to me dropped his jaw to the floor. "Wait, he said yes to that? To training a possibly supernatural creature that may or may not be part of the pack that led to —"

"Yes," the Alpha said, interrupting Stiles before he said Allison's name out loud. "He offered. I needed another opinion; preferably the opinion of an adult. And since Derek is still, uh, adjusting to coming home after being kidnapped, I texted Argent."

I giggled at the thought of Allison's dad texting Scott and the pack. He continued, "But he wanted to know if you had any prior training. And he insisted that it wasn't proper for a human to be involved in the supernatural world with no prior training." I shot Stiles a look, putting my hand next to his and leaning back. Our pinkies were barely touching but Stiles smiled and Scott, oblivious to the subtle exchange, added, "Especially if they didn't choose to be a part of this."

"Did-did you tell him about Allison?" He shook his head solemnly. "I couldn't tell him until I fully understood the situation. So I'll ask again: you're sure it's real?"

"I thought I proved that to you already. The information is too accurate to be a dream or hallucination," I repeated. Sighing, I leaned against the wall next to Stiles's bed and muttered, "Scarily accurate."

Scott nodded, debating if he believed me about this. I sighed and touched one of the many books still stacked on top of the bed. He directed his gaze around the room, noticing the mess Stiles and I had made earlier in the day, and picked up a book from one of the stacks on the floor. Scanning the page quickly, the werewolf asked, "Trickster spirits?"

I counted them off with my fingers: "The Coyote, the Fox, and the elusive Raven."

"Kate is really starting a war between kitsunes and Coyote spirits?" He asked. Stiles scrunched up his lips, moving his cheek closer to his eye, and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. It's highly likely, I guess. But we could use a little help from Lydia to translate some archaic Latin pages we have."

"I'll talk to her. Sorry about that," he said, standing up. "But right now, we're gonna go to Argent. I told him we'd swing by tonight so he could meet you."

Stiles winked at him and hopped of his bed to join him on the walk down to start the car. I stayed behind, alone, to process what just happened. I guess I wasn't an enemy anymore, but still not an ally, a team player. Just in-between, neither here nor there. Kind of like Allison right now.

_Allison. _I wished I could summon her at will, not always having to wait for sleep to talk to her. For advice. For wisdom. About training with her dad. About the supernatural creatures we'd be forced to face. About how much I hate that I didn't get to know her until after she was dead. I wanted a face-to-face conversation about Scott and Isaac and Stiles and Kira and how confused they were about the new connection they've discovered, sitting right in front of them. And Lydia. We could talk endlessly about Lydia and how to fix this. I should've told her first; I should've been better friends with her - she lost her best friend, and the rest of the pack weren't exactly the most helpful reminder of that.

With my eyes closed, I cried out quietly, "I screwed this up, Allison. What did you get me into? Pushing me into this life. Your life, not mine." And I swore, in the back of my mind, I heard her whisper, _"You'll do great. I know you'll make me proud." _

It couldn't have been real, her voice, so I pushed the thought away and grabbed a jacket before bounding down the stairs. By the time I stepped outside, it was dusk. The sun was setting, and the boys were ready to go in the car, only waiting for me. We drove for a bit, the night sky hanging above our heads once we parked outside a shoddy, rundown apartment complex.

There was no way Allison's father decided this was the best, safest place for him to live now. I leaned forward from the backseat and asked, "This is where he lives?"

Before Scott answered, something large rammed itself into the passenger side of the Jeep, nearly tipping us over. Stiles pressed his hands against the door to prevent injury, but I had hit my head on the metal bars of his headrest, a throbbing pain slightly above my ear. "What the fuck was that?"

The werewolf's eyes flashed red and he growled. "I don't know. You two stay here." He got out, claws at the ready, and prowled around, searching for the source. Stiles climbed into the backseat with me, practically smacking my face. "What do you think you doing?"

"Protecting you."

"I don't—" Whatever hit us the first time smashed into the Jeep again - this time on the driver's side. It wasn't as hard this time, not as purposeful, but Stiles still fell onto me and wrapped his arms around me in the process. I ducked my head near his chest, his hand around my neck protecting me. I whispered, "We have to get out of here."

"Trust me, V," he whispered next to my ear, "when I say we're safer in the car than —" This time whatever it was threw Scott against the Jeep, the vehicle barely rocking. Stiles tightened his body around me, but I twisted my head away towards the window to get a better look. It was so dark outside though, the only thing I could see was an Alpha's red eyes glowing.

I snorted. "What was that about being safer in the car?"

We sat in silence, waiting and holding on to each other. I continued to rest against his chest, pressing my cheek a little harder, and his body comfortably embraced mine. Stiles placed his chin on the top of my head, one hand on my back and the other around my neck. His fingers soothingly traced circles at the base of my neck and I tried to will away the goosebumps that kept popping up.

Stiles moved his hand from my neck to the side of my face, and, probably a little louder than he intended to, said, "Shit."

"What?" I jerked away from him, accidentally elbowing his ribs. He grunted, "You're bleeding."

I immediately touched the spot his hand had been and felt the wet, sticky mess in my hair. My stomach started to turn and a small grumble echoed in the car. Stiles theorized, "You must've hit it on the head rest. There's a small piece of metal that sticks out, I haven't had a chance to fix it. But don't worry, it's not gushing or anything."

My heart sped up and I felt a tingling in my arms. I begged, "Please take me inside. Stiles, please."

He hesitated for a minute, glancing out the window. So I argued, "We haven't heard or seen anything in a while, we'll be okay. Please, Stiles?"

Leaning his head back against the seat, Stiles groaned. "If you weren't so terrified of blood, I'd say no."

"How do you know I'm afraid of blood?" I asked curiously, trying to make him out in the darkness. I didn't have to see him to know that he was rolling his eyes with an "are you kidding me" expression growing on his face. He said, "We've been friends for, like, eight months, V. God."

The boy moved away from me, again scanning the surrounding area through the window, despite the eerie pitch blackness that had been covering us for the last twenty minutes. "It's futile to keep checking if the coast is clear, Stiles."

"I'm doing what's best for us," he said, finally opening the door and ushering me out. I was about to close the door when he grabbed my hand and whispered, barely audible, "Can't draw attention."

Our hands were entwined as we darted to the entrance of the building. There was nothing but silence, no sounds of fighting, no sign that anything had been out here. A pin could drop and it would be as deafening as an explosion. The darkness enveloped us whole, the single light at the entrance our only safe haven.

We moved as quickly as our bodies were able, but it still felt like centuries before we even reached the door. I glanced over my shoulder at the darkness as Stiles started to turn the handle, but didn't even see the huge creature that slammed into us, tearing us apart. I landed on my back, immediately trying to get back onto my feet. But whatever it was came again, striking me down. It had me pinned down and was ruthlessly clawing at my stomach and arms. I felt something wet land on my skin, into my wounds, and all sensation eventually left my body. Breathing was too difficult now, impossibly, and my vision —

I knew how dark it was, but something was telling me that I was blacking out. But the pain. The pain was so strong, spreading throughout my entire body, that it kept bringing me back to consciousness. Warm, sticky blood crept slowly down my stomach, across my shoulder, and the claws, the claws kept scratching at me. And even though I couldn't see or move or breath, I felt the creature dig deep into my wound and I screamed.

At least, I thought I was screaming.

* * *

**EDIT 1: **This chapter has been edited and revised since it's initial posting. I added a bit more to make it seem a little more canon with the real season 4. (This has so far been done with chapters 1-5 as well, and will probably be done with chapters 7-14.)

**Author's Note: **Hi y'all. Finally some action! Anyway, I'm still looking for a part-beta, part-someone-to-discuss-my-plot-with, so if you're interested, please PM me and I'll give you more specifics of what I'm asking for. As a reminder, this is slightly AU (like Kate is probably a were-jaguar canonically, but for the sake of my plot, she is a were-coyote).

Please review if/when you have the time! It lets me know what I need to do as a writer. ^.^ Thank you so much, my loves.

_Disclaimer: The line I used from Allison is from season 1, episode 9, if I recall correctly._


	7. Aftermath

_I woke up and knew. I came to the same place I always did, ever since I was little. But in recent times, an additional person was bound to show up too. It was our little spot: mine and Allison's. A little, tucked away corner in the woods - woods that greatly resembled the one in Beacon Hills, mind you - with an abandoned, worn down wooden table. Fog rolled in slowly, as per usual, and it hung close to the ground. I caught a glimpse of black hair and white-as-snow cheeks in between the trees I found myself surrounded by. Allison was perched on the edge of the table, legs crossed, and she squinted at me._

_"V," she said, "What are you doing back so soon?" _

_"Is it so soon? Do you have a strong sense of time here?" _

_"No, not really. But it feels sooner than it should be." I sat beside her, thinking about how long it'd been. I couldn't remember much, nothing past our departure to her dad's apartment. "I must've fallen asleep in the car." _

_"Really? Where to?" She smiled as she asked, her words playful dancing in the air. Her voice was always so melodic, light and airy but firm. I answered, "To see your dad actually. You and Scott had the same idea about my being trained." _

_Allison's brown eyes lit up. "Really? That's fantastic!" I nodded in agreement, biting my lip out of nervousness. "Don't be worried about it. I'm sure you'll do fine." _

_I gestured to her. "I'm going to have to tell him about this. About you. I don't want to hurt him. Or worse: have him try to use this connection so he can speak directly to you." _

_"He will be grateful knowing that I'm okay, V." I conceded, body relaxing. We started to talk about the past day, of what I could remember, and she started to tease me about falling asleep with Stiles. I pointed out, "But we've shared a bed every night this past week." _

_"So? This is the first time you guys have gotten remotely close to cuddling." _

_"Having his arm draped around me doesn't insinuate cuddling," I insisted. She continued to hold it over my head before she paused, sobering up and tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Allison glanced at me, puzzled. _

_"Why are you still here?"_

_"What?"_

_"It just feels like it's been awhile. Longer than usual." _

_I shrugged at her worrying and said, "Maybe because this is the first time in a long time where you didn't have to provide cryptic warnings or go into great detail about your life. It's the first time we've really just enjoyed ourselves." _

_She scratched her forehead. "No, no. It just feels like. Like you need to wake up,Veronica."_

_Her words echoed in the back of my mind._

_Wake up, Veronica._

* * *

"Please wake up, Veronica," a voice pleaded. My eyelids fluttered open and saw Kira, eyes watering, sitting beside my bed. Why would Kira be beside my bed? But I looked around, noticing the hospital chairs and the IV bag I was hooked up to. Kira's hand enveloped mine gently. Her words came out more like a question: "You're up?"

"I am. I guess. I didn't think that I wasn't. Have I been here long?" My hands opened and closed on their own accord, I couldn't remember wanting to move them. She said, voice somewhat cracking, "About a day or two, actually."

"W-what happened?"

"I can't really tell you that, V. But either Isaac or Stiles is coming to keep you company. They can tell you a much better story than I can. I have dinner plans with my parents."

"Oh," I murmured, disheartened.

"We decided to take shifts, in case you woke up. Then you'd have at least one person here and it wouldn't be so overwhelming. I'm really sorry, but I had no idea when you'd wake up. None of us did," she said, moving her hair from her left side to the right. "My parents, they really wanted to make sure I was okay. But someone will be here to take over. And take care of you." And then she added, "I'm always around to take care of you. I'm sorry I kept my distance when Scott—"

"Kira," I stated firmly. "It's okay. I know you're always here for me. And I'm sorry I didn't try harder with you after it happened."

"We're both so stupid, huh?"

"Completely."

A grateful smile made its way onto my lips. "Thank you, so much." Tears streamed down my cheeks and with regained control of my arms, quickly wiped them away.

"It's fine. It's nothing. We're a pack."

"Well, you guys are. Me? Not so much," I answered, barely able to shake my head. Before she argued back, Isaac walked in then, surprised. "V, you're awake."

Sarcastically, I said, "Allegedly." Kira started to walk towards the door, stopping at the end of my hospital bed, hand hovering, and whispered, "Thanks for waking up."

She left and Isaac nestled in on the chair Kira had just been in. "Lahey, tell me what happened?" He took my hand in his, gently rubbing his thumb across my knuckles. I could still barely feel it, very little sensation in my body still.

"There was a werecoyote. A large one, fully grown, fully in control. It could've been Kate, but this one seemed to have a stronger mastery of their powers than we would assume Kate had."

"How do you know it was a werecoyote?"

"According to Scott, it kept tiptoeing. We wolves don't tiptoe."

"Right, of course. Because you're such men." He glowered at me and continued, "We think it somehow sensed that you are not human and it targeted you, not Stiles. Another came to attack Scott, distracting him from saving you."

"Why didn't it tear me into pieces?"

"We don't know exactly." I sighed and gripped his hand, completely frustrated. "What happened after I passed out?"

"After Scott took down the smaller one, he howled for backup and I showed up. We couldn't take it down, but it ran off after some time." He swiped some hair out of my eyes and said, "Anyway, Lydia has some ideas about what you are. She's on her way."

I couldn't stop it from leaving my mouth. "Lydia?"

"Yeah," he said, a smile on his face. "Lydia's coming."

"How bad are my injuries? There have been no doctors coming in since I woke up."

"Scott's mom said the scratches on your face will heal without scarring over, but bikinis might not be in your near future."

Groaning, I said, "Really? Can you tell me how bad it looks?"

"You want me to look?" Isaac was baffled by my request. I nodded. "Okay, I guess." He carefully peeled the thin hospital blanket off of me and proceeded to lift up my slip a bit. My cheeks heated up, but I knew I had nothing to be truly embarrassed about.

Isaac's eyes flashed werewolf yellow, out of anger probably, and touched my stomach lightly before removing the bandages. He growled. "Fucking Kate."

"Well, let's not do that quite yet," I joked. Isaac paid me no notice, so I, quite seriously, said, "Okay, Isaac. I'm alive. That's all that matters."

"No, no. You are-are nothing."

"Okay, _that_ escalated quickly."

"No, V, I meant. You are not a supernatural creature. You're not on the chessboard. You didn't deserve this from her."

"We don't know it was her," I pointed out.

"It was members of her pack."

"We don't know that. They could just be a particularly peeved type of werecoyote. Werecoyotes don't like werewolves, remember?"

"There's no way this was a coincidence. This was Kate. Kate is a psychopath with no ability to reason whatsoever."

"Kate is Allison's aunt."

His face immediately softened at Ally's name, but with an edge in his voice, he answered, "Kate is hurting Allison's friends. Don't you think she would've wanted us to do something about that?"

"Yeah, of course. She would've wanted us to figure out what she was doing before taking her down, Isaac. Look, I know that I never really knew her, but —"

"That's right. You didn't know her. Not like I did." I jerked my hand from his and said, "I know that. But I think I've talked to her enough in the last eight months to know that Allison, though tough and firm, would never destroy someone so easily. Yes, she would protect us, and do anything to, but not jump to conclusions and just kill someone."

I glanced back at him, his eyebrows were raised in disbelief. What had started as a whisper ended with my shouts. He opened his mouth to argue back, but Lydia walked into the hospital, all smiles and heels. She greeted us, "Hi Isaac. V. I'm really glad you're awake now. You really had us scared."

"What? I scared _you_? But you haven't spoken to me in two weeks, Lydia," I reminded her, smacking my lips. She sat down next to me, the opposite side of Isaac, shoulders slumped in a very un-Lydia-like fashion.

She defended herself, "Scott is my alpha. I need to do what I think is best for him. And Allison? You could've told me about her. You should've. She was my b-best friend."

"I know I know. I'm sorry," I apologized. It was about Allison, I always knew that. Lydia couldn't talk to me, she didn't know how to talk about her best friend with me, someone who got to see her every night. Someone, as Isaac had so painfully reminded me, that never even knew her. My hand found hers quickly. "Allison asked me not to. She didn't want to hurt you guys, knowing that a connection existed. A bridge between her world and ours."

"She didn't want us to exploit it," Isaac noted. I waved my hand, gesturing that his response was sort of correct, and said, "Not exploit it, necessarily."

"There was potential that we would get attached, obsessive. Only think about her and let the rest of our lives fall to the wayside," Lydia whispered to herself. She smiled meekly and added, "She was being selfless. As always."

"If I thought it wouldn't crush you," I said to her, "I would've said something."

"I know that now, V. I'm sorry, I needed to time to process. But enough about her, for now, okay? I think I know what you are."

Astonished, I blurted, "What?" Even Isaac wrenched his head up to meet her eyes. I shifted uncomfortably, stuck in between their gaze, as I always did, awkward. They broke apart quickly and Lydia pulled out a book, worn and weathered from use, crossing her legs, implying this was business. And knowing everything their pack went through, it probably was.

"Stiles brought me up to date on the trickster spirit research you've been sifting through. And I remembered reading a book on animal totems and spirits. Which led me to Deaton and he gave me a book entirely focusing on Raven spirits."

Impatiently, Isaac prodded, "Is this going anywhere?"

"Yes," she said, narrowing her eyes at the werewolf. "You have to be a Raven spirit, V. Ravens are incredibly closely associated to death, playful by nature, and found in solitude or pairs. Some of them, though in some very old, unreliable ancient myths, have the power of healing."

Hesitantly, I asked, "Don't ravens move in flocks?"

"Actually, it's called an 'unkindness' or a 'conspiracy.' Like with packs, the more Ravens, the more powerful. But most of the time they prefer fewer numbers."

"And what makes you think I'm a Raven?"

"Your connection with the dead, for starters. Allison, your visions that happened with Ethan. You helped speed along Derek's healing process and, no offense, like to be a bit of a loner. I need to have someone around, Stiles is desperately in need of of company, and even Isaac craves companionship. It makes sense."

I digested the information and an overwhelming tiredness swept over me. Everything, the conversations, the fight, Ravens, was tiring. But then Scott's mom knocked on the door, popping her head in. "Veronica, dear, I'm glad you're awake. Isaac, Lydia, I'm also glad you're here to keep her company. And after Kira told me, I thought I'd give you some time alone before letting the doctor and nurses come in to check in on you. But it's time to check your vitals, injuries, etc. Okay guys?"

I nodded. Lydia squeezed my hand and Isaac, coldly, said goodbye. As soon as they left, the doctors and nurses flooded the room then, briefing me on the extent of my injuries. My mind was still in a haze, but the important things stuck out: fractured rib, broken wrist, bruised tailbone, three deep wounds across my left shoulder and abdomen, and minor cuts on my face and neck. A positive outcome was to be expected though. When they were done, they asked if I needed anything and how I felt, but my energy was depleting. So I smiled faintly, answering in fragments here and there, but soon I closed my eyes, falling asleep to Lydia's words.

* * *

**Author's Note: **  
Thanks to WalkingInAWinterWonderlandxx as my beta!(:  
And now the mystery continues ~  
Please leave a review, it means a lot ^.^

EDIT: If it matters, I went back to chapters 1-6 to revise, tighten, and include references to season 4. chapter 16 is in the process of being written.


	8. Possession

_"So, you're still stuck in that hospital bed, huh?" she asked. "Have you tried healing?" _

_I laughed at her suggestion, but quickly stifled it when I caught her glowering at me. _

_"Allison, you can't be serious. I'm not a werewolf, I don't have healing powers." _

_"You said that Lydia included healing abilities in her list. Maybe you can't fully heal your wounds but you did help Derek start his own process," she pointed out, flicking my knee with her fingertips. Maybe she was right, maybe it was worth a shot._

* * *

Ms. McCall easily agreed to help: she was currently standing guard outside my hospital room door to make sure no unwanted visitors walked in and accidentally see me potentially heal myself. That would be difficult and awkward to explain away. I took off my hospital gown in the restroom, not looking down at the bandages wrapped around my body. Instead, I watched myself in the mirror as I unraveled them one by one. The gashes were still open, all of them, held together, precariously, by stapes. The stench of blood was suffocating, I felt woozy.

Deliberately, I put a hand across the largest open wound on my stomach.

_Back at Argent's apartment complex, I was standing inside the lobby, looking out into the dark world, as far as the little light could reach. I moved to open the door, at least I tried, but failed. Clearly, whatever mystic power I had within me had twisted humor, forcing me to watch and unable to interfere. Stiles and the other me, the me in this memory, were running towards the entrance of the building, hands still interlocked. The large animal slammed into both of us, Stiles going off to one side, me to the other. Scott, though I couldn't remember even hearing him, growled and shouted from a distance, "VERONICA!"_

_The animal, a seemingly overtly large coyote or cougar, tore into my stomach and I watched helplessly as my body went limp. Scott was too far and blood started to drip from my shoulders. At this angle, it looked like the animal was drooling to cuts it was digging in my skin. Suddenly, Isaac appeared, pushing the animal off of me, fighting it. _

_Stiles, unharmed but covered in dirt, came to my side, taking his jacket off to wrap around my abdomen, in hopes of stopping the blood. His other hand cupped my face, and even from inside the building, I could hear him say, "V, you've got to stay alive. Please. For me." _

My chest tightened, and I gasped for air, back to reality. I didn't notice my breath was caught during the memory revisiting.

But Isaac was there. He had saved me. I tried to keep my breathing slow, steady, even, and redirected my attention to the largest slash across my stomach. The wounds were closed, scarring over, not smooth like if I'd been a werewolf.

I slipped the hospital gown back on, walking back into the room. My body was weak and shaky, and I had to steady myself on the rail at the foot of my bed to keep from falling over. This wasn't supposed to happen, I was supposed to be better. My minor cuts were fixed, the throbbing pain vanished, but I felt so weak still. But then I remembered how exhausted I was after Derek, and shrugged off the weakness for a couple more seconds, knocking on the door to let Ms. McCall know I was done.

As I limped back to my bed, carefully getting in, she came inside with a crisp paper shopping bag and put it down to help tuck me back in. "Lydia brought you some clothes and shoes for when you leave. Which might be today. Mind if I take a look?"

"Not at all," was what I managed to get out. She undid the blanket really quickly, lifting up my gown just enough to see one of the former gashes. In awe, she breathed, "That's impressive. Everything's closed, your bruises have yellowed out. And it healed just short of being a miraculous recovery, as we often get in this town."

"I'm glad. The only issue is my wrist: I think it healed a bit, but it might just be a fracture now."

"You'll figure it out eventually," she said reassuringly, grazing her fingers across my wrist. "Will your scars ever go away?"

"Maybe, I don't know."

"Don't worry, eventually, everything will get figured out. Especially with my son at the helm," she murmured, smoothing my hair back. Then she added, "And call me Melissa, dear."

"Ms. Mc - Melissa? Do you know where I'll be staying from now on?" Scott's mom smiled and responded, "You'll be with Sheriff Stilinski and Stiles. The Yukimuras are a bit hesitant about letting you stay over now. But that's fine, I'll go get your discharge papers now."

She exited the room, waving sweetly from the doorway. I took a moment, wiggling my toes, moving my fingers, blinking my eyes, to see if I regained any energy. When my legs finally didn't feel like a hundred pounds each, I got up off the bed, digging into the bag Lydia gave to Scott's mom. Inside was a thin, mint-colored sundress only appropriate for a Californian Fall, a pair of distressed brown combat boots, and a lacy strapless bra. Also included was a note from Lydia:

_Even though you're covered in scars, that's_

_no reason to show off your amazing stems!_

_Work 'em, babe. XOXO Lydia _

I took off the gown, slipping on the bra. The mini dress had pretty sheer, flower lace detailing across the waist and made me entirely grateful for Lydia understanding my personal style. God knows how many poor girls she dressed up in too-tight, too-short outfits that made them feel uncomfortable. The door squeaked open behind me before I had a chance to put the dress on. Dropping the dress, I turned around, thinking it was Melissa, ready to sign my forms for release. But instead, it was Stiles, jaw dropped and eyes fixed on my nearly naked body.

"I, uh, um," he stuttered, grabbing the back of his neck and indecisively covering and uncovering his own eyes. Glancing down at my stomach, I said, "Yeah, I did a little bit of healing magic on myself earlier."

"Y-yeah." He was clutching onto my favorite black bomber jacket, a perfect complement to the sweet dress Lydia gave me. I thanked him for bringing it, and reached for it, but a quick glimpse downward caused him to retract. Red coloring spread across his skin, neck to cheeks. Stiles faltered, "Actually, put clothes on. I'm just - turn around."

In rapid succession, I put on the dress, the socks, and the boots before clearing my throat. "You can turn around now, Stilinski."

"I should've knocked," he apologized. Cutting him off, I pointed out, "We went swimming over the summer, like, twice a week. You've seen me in a bikini before. This isn't quite different."

His blush deepened. "I know. But this is more intimate." Stiles' response was actually really sweet. I grabbed the jacket - finally! - from his trembling hands and pulled it on.

"You should tell Lydia that."

"What?"

"That's a sweet answer. She'll appreciate it."

"Why exactly do I care if she likes it?" Stiles asked, raising an eyebrow. I ignored the sense of satisfaction growing inside every time he spoke.

I explained, "You and Lydia. I mean, I thought there was something there. No?"

"No. No no no no no. Lydia and I are just friends," he insisted. An incredulous laugh escaped past my lips, but I stopped it when I saw his face soften. "I realized that pining after someone for eight years wasn't exactly true love." Part of me wanted to assure him that he and Lydia were soul mates, destined for each other by a red string. But I knew deep down he was right: he needed to move on from her. Before I said anything else on the subject, Stiles sat down on my rented hospital bed. He looked up at me, eyes locking, and flashed his boyish smile, butterflies stirring and fluttering around in my gut.

Shoving those feelings aside, I put my hand on his shoulder and asked, "Did you know Isaac was there that night?"

"Yeah, I thought you knew that already. Didn't he visit you earlier in the week?" When I shook my head, Stiles furrowed his eyebrows and asked, "He didn't tell you when you woke up?"

"We argued about whether Allison would jump at the chance to kill Kate. And then Lydia came and he left without talking things out. But I saw him save me, when I tried to heal myself."

"What else did you see?" he asked. I said I didn't see anything else and he nodded energetically, changing the subject back to Kate. "She gave Allison nightmares at one point. When our doors were open at the whole human sacrifice thing."

That's why he wanted to kill her, for once and for all. "Was she really that crazy?"

Stiles, wrapping his arm around my shoulders, whistled, "Yup. With a capital C. Or maybe just fanatic about hunting. Who knows. But it'll be okay. Don't worry about Kate."

"Stiles," I whispered, accidentally. I was hoping to speak at a normal volume. "It was Kate who attacked me?"

"It might have been a couple of betas. One for Chris, one for Scott. But I don't know how it knew to rip into you like that over me."

"Coyote spirits and Raven spirits have been feuding since ancient times. It must've sensed me, I suppose," I said. Then I remembered, "But we should be heading to Argent's right now."

"Are you sure you want to start training already?" He asked out of concern. And he had every right to be; I wasn't a self-healing werewolf - I still had a fractured wrist - and had just learned what I was. But this was important too.

"I'm fine. I need to learn how to use a gun." Stiles knew I had him there. I, at the very least, needed to know how to defend myself in case I couldn't figure out what powers I had. Since he had nothing left to say, I laced my fingers in his and pulled him out to sign the discharge papers.

* * *

We parked outside an abandoned, run down, sketchy warehouse on the edge of Beacon Hills' border. In disbelief, he asked, "Really? Here?"

"We're still in Beacon Hills to protect Argent from Kate, but far enough that she can't immediately find us. It's the safest bet for training," I argued, poking him in the chest for emphasis.

"Shouldn't Scott be here, like, as a bodyguard or something? You were the one that got attacked, not Argent." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"That's what Isaac's for, silly." I laughed and pointed out the window, at the motorcycle leaning against the building's wall. Stiles narrowed his eyes at it. "If Scott were here, that would be too much bait for Allison's aunt. It could only end badly."

"I get it," he sighed, conceding to the idea that his best friend wouldn't be around." But I'm staying too, okay?"

"Stiles! Why?"

"You're living under my dad's roof. That makes you my responsibility too," he explained. "Besides, how do you plan on getting back to my place? The back of that dangerous motorcycle?"

Before closing the door after I got out of the car, I smirked at him. "Motorcycles _are_ pretty sexy, Stilinski."

He ran around his Jeep to me and relented, "Okay, you got me there. Are they inside?"

"Let's find out," I replied mysteriously. He didn't need to know that I wasn't exactly up to speed on Argent's chosen location and plans for today.

Stiles pushed open the boarded entrance of the warehouse and stepped in before me, almost protectively. The room we were entered smelled liked dust, that's what hit me first. The place was dark, except for skinny slivers of light slipping past the wooden boards hammered over the windows and doors. Instinctively, I wrapped my arm around Stiles's waist. He tensed at my touch and I almost pulled away, not wanting him to feel uncomfortable. But then he swung his own around my shoulders and whispered, "I'm here. And they're probably in here somewhere."

"Yes we are," Isaac's voice rang through the dark. The lights came on then, flickering at first, revealing the werewolf and Argent, both clad in leather, standing across from us.

"Was that entrance necessary? Hiding out in the dark and all that," I snorted. Isaac narrowed his eyes at my comment, and then at Stiles, but ignoring him, I extended my hand to Allison's dad. "But Mr. Argent, it's nice to finally meet you."

Stiles removed his arm from around me as Argent firmly shook my hand. "Veronica, good to meet you too. You're a Raven, correct?"

"Yes, sir."

"My family hasn't come across one in about a thousand years. Your kind, they're quite mysterious."

"I suppose that's why in myths they represent omens, good or bad. And they're probably harder to find because they have two forms: human or bird. There's no in between state for them to accidentally become and reveal what they are to society."

"Kistunes don't even have an animal form. But coyotes, if they're spirits, why do you think they have a different levels of shifting?"

"My theory, based on the readings Lydia gave me, is their half-turn, so to speak, serves more as a practical skill. They can live among humans and compete in the natural world as animals. Or maybe it's an evolved ability that developed from turning humans with the bite," I answered.

He cracked a bit of a smile. "You're smart. Quick-witted. Like Allison. Isaac mentioned something about healing powers?"

"Kind of, I heal by touching my injury. But they don't heal fully. And there's the emotional and physical drain, since I enter visions of how the injury happened."

"Then I guess you need to learn how to fight. How's the wrist?" He gestured to my brace.

"It's my right wrist, still fractured."

"Good. You should learn how to shoot with both hands anyway. We'll start with a handgun for basic protection," he said. I nodded in agreement, excited I wouldn't have to rely so heavily on Isaac or Scott or Kira to keep saving me. To keep thinking of me as someone who needs protection. Stiles and Isaac put on headphones and stood closely to the entrance of the building. I followed Argent to a table with a single gun on it. He picked it up and clicked the safety on. "This is a Ruger Single-Six convertible. It's a single action revolver and the best option for someone with no background in weaponry."

Argent handed it to me and I almost dropped it. "It's heavier than I thought it would be."

"And that's why you have to watch out for the recoil. Please forget every action movie you've ever seen that makes shooting with guns look effortless." I nodded at his advice as he gave me noise-canceling headphones and safety goggles. He ordered, "Put those on. Basic safety rules: don't point the gun at anyone except the bad guys and don't put your finger on the trigger until you're ready. Now stand over there."

With the goggles on over my glasses and headphones around my neck, I stood several feet away from him, facing another table across the way that was lined with fruit. Chris said, "You're gonna hold the gun in your non dominant hand to avoid further injuring your wrist. Put your thumb on one side of the grip and your middle, ring, and pinky fingers curled around the trigger guard."

He continued, "Cup your right hand over your left, gently. You'll normally do it the other way, to steady yourself, not to grip. As a warning, your thumbs should not be in the way of the slides or you'll get injured like that. Understood?"

I nodded at his instructions. "Now stand shoulder-width apart. Yes, good. Just like that. Make sure your knees are slightly bent."

Quickly, I pushed the headphones over my ears and got back into position. Taking a deep breath, relaxing my body, I was ready to aim. It was slightly unnatural, using my left hand, but the rest of my body seemed to know how to align the front sight with the rear sight with my dominant eye. I clicked off the safety, kept my breathing nice and even, with my eyes fixed on the orange, and pulled the trigger twice. It felt easy, but only one bullet went through the middle of the fruit. The other one grazed the peel of the apple next to it.

I turned the safety back on, took of my headphones, and spun around to see Chris, a faint, impressed smile on his face. "That was good?"

"Not bad," he said. Removing the goggles, I walked over to the table and placed the gun down. I stretched my wrist a bit, a minor pain affecting me. Stiles and Isaac came up to me and when I glanced at them, they stopped short in their tracks. "What's wrong?"

The boys exchanged looks, as they so often did, and one of them, hesitantly, answered, "Your eyes are black, V."

I didn't know which one answered, my vision was starting to blur. My fingers touched the brim of my glasses and I tried to blink away the haze. But Isaac cupped my chin, tilting my face up towards his own. "They're brown again. It's gone."

And then, everything went black.

* * *

My vision was gone, but I was still conscious. I had control over my body and I knew I was still standing up and not a crumpled heap collapsed on the floor. But when I opened my mouth to speak, I couldn't. Nothing came out. At least, not the ones I wanted to say.

Because then I started to hear someone speak and I waited before they were done to respond. But then I realized that it was my own voice that was ringing throughout the warehouse. I was asking, "Is this the body of Veronica Yang?"

Neither of the boys spoke; it was Chris's voice that answered the question. "Yes it is. And if you don't mind, whoever you are, can you explain what is happening?"

"Simply put, I am the leader of a powerful conspiracy. That's what we call our group of ravens. And the stronger a Raven is, the more abilities they have. Including the ability to enter another's body from a great distance. It's even easier if the body is of a Raven spirit. It is unfortunate that Veronica Yang has no training or education, or even the knowledge of what she is."

Stiles quipped, "You mean a flock, right?"

My voice added an edge to its words, "We are a conspiracy, not a flock. We're not pigeons."

"Why are you doing this?" Chris asked, refocusing the conversation.

"Due to Veronica's lacking in great, knowledgeable resources on her own kind, I wanted to inform you that there is a man named Deaton in her vicinity that has recently been bestowed a bestiary."

"Wait, but Argent's family has one. And it didn't have any information on Ravens," Isaac remarked. Even I didn't need to be able to see to know that Chris was grimacing at Isaac's naivety. My head turned to look at him. At least, I thought I was looking at him.

"Exactly. This bestiary happens to be much older than the Argent family's; in fact, it contains information on the Raven spirit. Information you will not be able to find otherwise. Veronica, if you are listening, take it and learn from it. There is so much you need to know."

"What do you know about Kate Argent?" Chris asked. I felt my lips purse themselves, the person on the other end thinking about how they should answer.

"Kate Argent broke our alliance with the Coyote spirits inhabiting Mexico City and here in Beacon Hills. We're unsure of her motives thus far, but will be taking action as soon as we get here. The advantage on your side, Veronica, is that she is unsure of what you are, about your heritage."

"Veronica is unsure of Veronica's heritage," Isaac muttered under his breath.

It didn't matter how quietly he said it, the person pulling my puppet strings heard him anyway. "Well, sure enough, that will change soon. My conspiracy will arrive within a week before the solar eclipse to help fight. I know you are Chris Argent, but the other boys?"

"Isaac Lahey, werewolf."

"Stiles Stilinski, human."

My eyes then narrowed uncomfortably, unnaturally, and my voice spoke, "You are Kate Argent's brother."

Chris answered professionally, "Yes, I am. But if she is going against a code, then I will let you do what you must."

"Are there more of you around Veronica?"

Isaac said, "We have a pack. But who the hell are you?"

I winced, I think, at his words and at the rudeness inflicting at whoever was trying to help us. Whoever was controlling me. But they didn't answer. Instead, my vision returned. I didn't know if I could speak, I just scanned their faces, being greeted with looks of confusion and fear.

"Your eyes," Stiles whispered, "were completely white, V." I didn't even open my mouth before I collapsed - and I felt it as it happen - and I was pretty sure it was Isaac who caught me.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So this chapter is a bit of a doozy. That's why it's been a few days since my last update. But as always read and review and let me know what you're thinking! Also, thank you again to my lovely beta, WalkingInAWinterWonderlandxx. ^.^

(Just as a timeline reference: In California, our school year tends to start the third week of August. So this chapter takes place about the third week of September)

**Edit: **If it matters, I went back to chapters 1-7 to revise, tighten, and include references to season 4. chapter 16 is in the process of being written.


	9. A Little Calm

**Edit: **If it matters, I went back to chapters 1-9 to revise, tighten, and include references to season 4. chapter 16 is in the process of being written.

* * *

_"What do you mean?" she asked. _

_"I mean, I've been hearing your thoughts as things happen in real time. And you already know things before I've had a chance to tell you in my dreams." _

_She took a moment before answering. "Maybe? I haven't thought about it much when I'm here."_

* * *

The pack and I crowded around one of the small, wooden lunch tables situated in the courtyard, tucked away in a corner far from the prying ears of the gossipmongers at school. It was also the first time in a couple weeks that we were all together, Malia included. Scott, for the umpteenth time, asked, "So your eyes were white? Like white white?"

And Stiles, for the umpteenth time, answered for me. "Yes. One hundred percent white. Like, horror movie, creepy white."

"And they were in control of your body?"

I contributed, "I guess."

"But how?"

"I don't know. But when I go into work today, I'll ask Deaton for the bestiary," I said, for the umpteenth time. Scott had that look on his face, the one he wore when he was formulating, undoubtedly, another question he'd already asked. So I changed the subject. "Let's go to Homecoming, guys."

The six heads all snapped to me and Kira, in a hushed voice, asked, "Now? We're about to be in the middle of a war between two spirits we know nothing about and you want to go to dance."

"Guys, I'll say it again: you don't need to get involved."

Scott furrowed his eyebrows. "And I'll say it again for you, V, we're here to protect you in case you can't protect yourself. You don't know the extent of your powers or how big Kate's pack is or how deep her vendetta runs."

Without thinking, I whispered, "Nous protégeons ceux qui ne peuvent pas se protéger leurs-même."

Isaac, eyes closed, breathed, "Exactly." All of them looked a million miles away; I had to remind them about Allison and her code. It was a mistake to bring her up, it was a mistake that it came from me. But then I caught a glimpse of Malia's eyes, open, filled with guilt. In the distant corners of my mind, Allison asked, "Why is she guilty? She didn't do anything to me."

I ignored my ghost and apologized. "I'm sorry, I didn't mea—"

"Sweetheart, stop right there. Don't be sorry," Lydia said, her hand reaching across the table to hold mine. She looked pointedly at Kira. "Look, vixen, we promised her a kickass senior year and so far, it's been like the rest. We should go as a group."

Excitedly, I said, "It's in one weeks. And we basically have five weeks until the partial solar eclipse and that's definitely enough time to get ready for Kate. I'll be okay." The rest of the pack, though mostly reluctant, agreed to go. Some were even enthusiastic, though uneasy about the prospect of actual fun amidst an oncoming storm. But I smiled in satisfaction anyway.

The bell rang and we split off into different directions for class. Isaac and I fell into step on our way to our intro business course. "How are we doing on the project? I know being in the hospital probably put us behind over a week."

Isaac shrugged and said, "Mr. Davis gave us a two week extension, so it's due the day after winter break."

"That's great." The werewolf smiled down at me, the first genuine smile since our spat over Allison at the hospital. Which reminded me: "Lahey, hey. I wanted to say thank you. I know you saved my life that night. And I'm so grateful for that. Seriously."

"V, you were in danger," he tried, diminishing the seriousness of what he'd done, "Scott howled, and I came running."

"You saved my life," I repeated. "Shut up and take my gratitude." Before stepping into the classroom, I tiptoed and placed soft kiss on his cheek.

* * *

When I got the animal clinic, I was trembling with anticipation. Everything I did was jittery, and had to be done multiple times. I clicked my car keys too many times, the confirmation beeps making birds fly out from their trees. It was all so hectic and Stiles questioned me earlier why I would even want to continue coming into work when I was in danger. But I needed a life that felt normal, one similar to what I had before I came clean to the pack. Before Isaac.

Deaton held the door open for me and said, "Good afternoon, Veronica."

"Alan," I joked. His bemused expression made me smile. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well. But are you?"

"I think I'm doing surprisingly well for someone recently attacked by a werecoyote and possessed by some supernatural creature she knows next to nothing about." He led me to his office, sat me down at his desk, and dropped down into his own leather chair. "Speaking of which, the creature that possessed me mentioned you."

"Interesting. What did they say?" he asked.

"You were recently bestowed a bestiary, one I would find particularly useful in my life."

"Ah, yes." Deaton smiled and stood up and walked over to his bookcase by the window. With his back to me, he said, "I haven't even gotten a chance to read through it yet. How did they know?"

"They didn't say. But they did say there was a hefty amount of information in there about me. About Raven spirits."

He considered this, now holding a leather-bound book he'd pulled off his shelf. "It's from my late great-grandfather's collection. Marian recently gave it to me."

Deaton handed me the book, it was heavier than I expected. The binding was tearing, the pages yellow from age. "Thank you so much. It means a lot to me."

"Of course. Why don't you take the afternoon off?"

I shook my head. "Really, I couldn't."

"Well," he said, gesturing behind me, "it seems Scott doesn't agree."

The Alpha werewolf was standing at the doorway, a grin stretched across his face. "I saw how excited you were about the bestiary and coming here after school. I thought I'd cover your shift so you can read it. I know if there'd been a book for me when I first turned, I would've wanted to know everything immediately."

I jumped up and gave Scott a big squeeze, squealing, "Thank you thank you thank you. You're the best, Scotty!"

He hugged me back, and said, "You're welcome. Stiles is at his place; he wants you to go over."

With that, I said goodbye to Deaton and Scott and a few of the patients I'd grown fond of. The drive over to the Stilinski's was shorter than usual, probably because both Allison and I were giddy with excitement.

"Stop what you're doing!" I shouted, swinging Stiles's bedroom door open. My face lit up as I welcomed to the sight of both Stiles and Isaac hunched over dozens of piles of printed research all spread out the room. "Whatcha doing?"

"I thought," Lahey answered, "that Stiles could use some help going through this coyote research. Since you know, researching Ravens isn't quite so necessary anymore."

Stiles checked his watch. "Aren't you supposed to be at work still?"

"Scott covered my shift for me so I could start reading the bestiary," I replied, pushing some papers aside to make myself comfortable on the bed. I placed the book gently in my lap, careful not to tear any of the pages as I opened it to the first page. The boys were watching me while I read, and after successfully ignoring their stares for several minutes, Isaac impatiently asked, "Anything?"

I glared at him. "So far it says that Raven spirits are the most cunning and agile of the trickster spirits. They have incredible self-control and they're far more reserved than coyotes or foxes, _but_ ravens are more sinister."

"So we should be threatened by you?" he joked, smirking and wrapping an arm around me playfully. Stiles, from his desk chair, shifted closer to the bed to prop of his legs against the bed frame. I gently pressed my shoulder into Isaac's chest and said, "Of course not. I'm not that scary. But after that the book just goes on to talk about how you can't turn a human into a Raven, the way you do with werecoyotes and werewolves."

"What does that have to do with anything?

"It means that Ravens are born into the family, so to speak. From the moment they can walk, they are trained in hand-to-hand combat and how to control their abilities. You know, training I don't have," I reminded him, lightly punching him in the arm.

They both took a moment to consider what I just said. Isaac noted, "So they stay with the children until they grow up."

"How do you figure?"

"Because Ravens prefer the presence of maybe one or two others, according to Lydia," Stiles piped up. "Though, when you consider what that Raven said when they possessed you, it sounds like these Raven spirits formed a large, powerful conspiracy."

"Either way, you got separated when you were a baby," Isaac added. "How?"

"Maybe not separated," I murmured. "Maybe abandoned."

"V, it sounds like familial bonds were honored, at least for the children. You had to have gotten lost." Isaac continued to pester me with theories about my separation, but Stiles noticed the visible discomfort on my face, and said, "What else did you find in that tiny timeframe of reading we gave you?"

Turning the pages, I tried to find something remotely interesting. I landed on a page titled Abilities and read, "'Ravens have a strong connection with the dead. Some see them walking among the living, some have the power of communication.'"

"Like you," Stiles commented. I could feel Allison mulling it over in my subconscious, but I kept going: "'Only the most powerful Ravens can summon spirits to the living world. The spirits must not have yet passed over. Though, in rare instances, a weaker Raven can draw power from the full moon to do the same."

"Allison," slipped past Isaac's lips, quietly, inaudibly. I moved out from under his arm and scrutinized his face. He repeated, louder this time, "Allison. You can summon Allison. We can talk to her."

"Lahey. Did you not hear what I read? I'm not a powerful Raven. I'm weak and young and I don't know the extent of my powers. I wouldn't be able to."

"But the full moon. You can try then," he pleaded, jumping off the bed to make his case. "This is Allison we're talking about."

"I would, if I knew that I had the strength to. But healing is so physically and emotionally draining; who knows what could happen if I tried to enter the spirit world while I'm awake. I could hurt myself before I can even get to Kate."

"But this is for Scott, or Chris, or _Lydia._" That was it. Eyes shut, I hissed at him, "You cannot guilt trip me, Isaac."

"Ver—" My eyes snapped open and he faltered backwards. Even Stiles flinched. I stood, taking control of the situation, and in a low, even voice, said, "No. I am not doing this. You don't tell me what to do, werewolf."

Shaking his head, shaking off whatever he was feeling, he argued, "This is good for all of us."

"I will not do anything I am not ready for. And this? This is one of those things," I said. His claws were already extended and he was almost ready to wolf out, but I didn't stand down.

I took a deliberate step towards him, not by will, but by instinct. Stiles, though, interrupted, "I-Isaac, man. You n-need to go."

The werwolf stalked out of the room and Stiles put a hand on my shoulder. I turned to him and let out a long sigh of relief, but quickly furrowed my eyebrows at him. He looked scared. "Your e-eyes were black again, V. I didn't feel safe."

"I'm sorry, Stiles. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I repeated, collapsing onto his bed, crying. I felt him sit down next to me, the weight of the bed shifting, and he whispered, "We've got a bit more reading to do."

About an hour later, my head was resting in his lap and Stiles lightly played with my hair while he read to me. "'After extensive training, skilled Raven spirits are able to transform into their animal counterparts. No physical in-between state exists for these trickster spirits. But there is a mental shift that occurs when angered or threatened.

They become ruthless creatures, unmerciful to the ones who wronged them. With this darkness consuming their minds, the eyes of the Raven will turn black. In this state, they will be able to move a little slower than the speed of sound. Any human, trickster spirit, or shape-shifter will feel like their lives are in danger or terrified."

I groaned, rolling onto my side. "So I'm evil?"

"No," he answered, pulling me on top of him. "Darkness doesn't make you evil."

His face was a few inches from mine and for a moment, we stayed like that. Just like that. He kept glancing down at my lips, like I wouldn't notice, and I self-consciously licked them. Allison whispered encouragingly, "Go on now."

My phone beeped, interrupting the moment. I rolled off of Stiles and grabbed it off the nightstand, hairs still standing on end. The text message was from Lydia.

**From: Lydia Martin  
**_So you might hate me. But Danny asked me to_  
_Homecoming. He said it would be nice, since we lost_  
_Ethan and Aiden._

"Lydia said she's going to the dance with Danny. She's apologetic, but, I mean, it shouldn't be too bad with two couples in our group date," I told him, shrugging.

"Yeah, but the people without dates are you, me, Isaac, and Malia. And correct me if I'm wrong, but you and Isaac don't seem to be on great terms right now," he said sarcastically. Allison saw right through his snark and said, "He's jealous."

Ignoring her, I said, "Right, that's the problem here. Not you and your ex. How is she by the way?"

"She's been stressed lately. I guess, she's not as in control as she thought she would be by now. So her and Peter are still working through things. Plus, you are a Raven spirits, so maybe that makes her uncomfortable?"

"Of course." I was such an idiot. Why didn't I think about that before? "I'm so stupid, it didn't even dawn on me that she was avoiding every pack meeting because she was uncomfortable. Our ancestors never got a long."

My phone beeped again before he could argue against my stupidity.

**From: Lydia Martin  
**_Just told Isaac about the dance. He said he was asking Malia. Did you two get into a fight or something?_

I texted back:

_Let's say his inner wolf brought out my inner Raven._

Peering over my shoulder, Stiles asked, "What did Lydia want?"

"We won't have to worry about the weird dynamic between the four of us at the dance anymore," I answered lamely.

"Why?"

"Isaac's gonna go with Malia." My eyes watered a little at the words. He hugged me tightly and whispered, "It's gonna be okay."

"No, I know. I'm not jealous, or anything. I don't - I didn't let myself have feelings for him because I knew about the Allison thing." Stiles relaxed his body at my words, still holding me. "I'm not upset. I kept him at arm's length for good reason."

"Sometimes you can do everything right, V, but it doesn't always work out."

I tilted my head up towards him, my nose grazing his cheek. "Like you and Lydia?"

"Like me and Lydia." Then, nudging me with his chin, he said, "Be my date to Homecoming and distract me? Please?"

"What? Ew," I whined. His expression saddened immediately and the corners of my mouth twitched upwards. "Stiles, that was a joke. Of course I'll be your date, you goof."

His boyish smile spread, contagiously, to mine and he stood up with excitement. "That's great. It'll be great. We'll have fun. I promise."

He started pacing in front of me, asking whether we should have a nice dinner beforehand or do something a little more extravagant. A dance was something Beacon Hills definitely needed. A little calm before the storm.

* * *

The next Tuesday afternoon, Kira, Lydia, and I found ourselves dress shopping. Once the sixth period bell finally rang, we left in favor of the mall, missing our first lacrosse practice of the season, especially since it was my only day off work at this time.

Stiles and I chose white, much to my inner Raven's dismay; black was the more appropriate color for me. But it was a compromise and not really that big of a deal. More so now since we'd already been shopping for an hour and none of us fell in love with any of the dresses we tried on. When we hit the food court, Kira sighed out of frustration. "What's up?"

"One. Dress. One dress is all any of us needs. But it hasn't happened and I'm already so exhausted," she complained. Turning to Lydia, she asked "How do you manage to do this, every single time, Lyd?"

The strawberry blonde sat down and matter-of-factly, said, "Practice, ladies. Lots of practice."

I took a sip of water and asked, "Have you guys picked colors? Maybe that's why I can't find anything. Too narrow-minded."

Kira shook her head no and Lydia replied, "Danny and I are stuck between black and champagne. It depends on whatever I find, I suppose. We can't all be like you and Stiles. So decisive."

"There's a you and Stiles?" Kira asked, eyebrow raised.

Glaring, I corrected her. "No. Nothing between us. We're just going as friends."

"Does he know that?" Lydia smirked.

"I'm pretty sure he does," I answered haltingly. "Besides, I can't do anything with him. Like I can't do anything about Isaac. The ex-girlfriend thing."

"Oh please. Don't worry about Malia."

"I'm not," I said.

"Oh, sweetie, don't stop yourself on my account," she said, wrapping her hand around mine. "Maybe for a second there, we could've happened. But then Aiden died. And Allison. And it wasn't time. It was never our time."

Petulantly, I insisted, "Still."

"If you like Stiles, I say go for it. You have my blessing."

My heart sung at her words. But I argued anyway, "Even if I did, which I'm not saying I do, I don't need a boy right now. In case you haven't noticed, there's quite a bit happening right now. A lot more important things are happening."

The girls nodded in agreement, knowing I was right. I needed to learn how to control my powers before falling in love. Then Kira said, "That might be the smart thing to do, but it might not happen the way you plan it."

We let her words sink in; they were frighteningly similar to the ones Stiles said to me about Isaac. But the silence didn't last long, because Lydia asked, Have you ever been with a boy?"

"In what way?" I asked with uncertainty. She groan quietly and said, "I'm talking about sex, V."

"No. I kissed one guy on the lips, but that was so many years ago. Since then, I guess I've been waiting for the right guy."

Kira gasped. "What? But you kiss the boys on the cheek all the time."

"Lips are more magical than the cheeks."

Lydia scoffed. "Depends which ones."

"Lydia!" I spit out my drink and snorted. Kira shrugged and said, "She has a point."

"Well, clearly, you have some reservations about sex. But V, you and Stiles have something. I can see it."

I wanted to agree with her, but the face of a certain werewolf popped up in my mind. "But Isaac."

"What about the stubborn werewolf?" Kira asked, grabbing my water bottle from me.

"I thought there was something there. But whatever connection we may have had is completely gone."

"What do you mean?"

"When I was attacked, Isaac said he heard Scott howl and he came to us. But Scott didn't howl. Scott was in the woods, fighting a different werecoyote. He had no way of knowing that I was being attacked. I-I think I thought about Isaac that night when the werecoyote was attacking me. And then he miraculously showed up to save my life."

I remember thinking about Isaac when that werecoyote was digging into my stomach and then he showed up and saved me."

"Maybe Scott did howl and you just didn't recognize it as a pack call?" Kira suggested. I shook my head.

"In the bestiary, there were pages devoted to the kinds of bonds ravens forge. They rarely connect with anyone but themselves. And wolves."

Lydia jumped in, twirling her hair. "In nature, ravens and wolves are symbiotic. Studies show that when ravens see carcasses left behind, they're very cautious before diving in. But if they are connected to a wolf pack, they eat immediately after."

"Yeah. That's how it works. Raven spirits and werewolves are known to have formed emotional tethers across time. And I think, unknowingly, Isaac and I bonded. Until we kept fighting about Allison."

"He really wants you to contact her without practice?"

"I think he does," Lydia answered for me. "I think it's for closure. But I'm worried about the state he's in. If you end up contacting her for him, he might get unstably attached."

"Exactly. I will do it when I'm ready and not a moment sooner."

Kira put a hand on my shoulder. "Do you think if you guys get past this, you'll fall for him?"

"No. Ravens and wolves don't fall for each other. They've tried, but their soul mates are either other raven spirits or humans."

"Another myth?" I gave a slight nod and Lydia stood up, changing the subject. "Come on, girls. Let's go find our dresses and wow human Stiles in the process."

She winked at me and sauntered off, leaving the two of us to trail behind.


	10. War is Coming

**Author's Note: **_Disclaimer - _There's grinding in this chapter if some y'all are uncomfortable with that.  
Thanks to my beta, WalkingInAWinterWonderlandxx, as always! Much love to my readers and please leave a review if you have the time! Thanks, dears. :3

* * *

_Allison gave me a sly grin. "So you and Stiles are -"_

_"Are only going to a dance together," I finished for her. "There's nothing going on between us."_

_"Right, of course." Naturally, I rolled my eyes. _

_"That's what Kira said." __She winked at me, conspiratorially, and changed the subject. "Have you and Isaac worked things out yet?"_

_"We work on our project around Scott and Kira and speak of nothing else." Isaac and I had been drifting. It hurt; mostly because I knew I promised Allison I'd protect him the most. "He wants me to try to summon you outside of our dreams and I'm not ready. I'm still learning how to control my turning." _

_"Do you have an anchor?" _

_"Myself?" _

_She shook her head. "No. Pick a better one, V. Even if it is Stiles." _

* * *

After work, I was sitting in my car, ready to go back to the Stilinskis', when my phone beeped.

_From: Chris Argent  
__Veronica, I need you to come to my apartment after work today. It's important. Derek will be here too._

I drove as quickly as possible to his apartment, which wasn't too far from the vet's office. As I parked, I silently wished to Allison that there wasn't some emergency. Derek's motorcycle was parked in the lot, glistening in the evening light. Mr. Argent buzzed me up and the two were sitting apart on his couch, clad in their almost-matching leather jackets.

"Hi, Mr. Argent, Mr. Hale." Derek stood and walked over to me, hand extended. I took it and he said, "I didn't get a chance to thank you for helping me heal before. For some reason, I wasn't allowing myself to."

"It was nothing," I said, shrugging it off. Then, mimicking the words I said to Isaac last week, Derek argued, "Take my gratitude. You deserve it."

"Thank you, Mr—"

"And call me Derek. The rest of McCall's pack does," he said in what sounded like a fatherly tone. Mr. Argent got up from his seat and walked over to the console table against the wall, reaching into the middle drawer.

Turning towards me, he said, "Scott and Isaac mentioned that you haven't been able to control your, um —"

"My dark side?" I offered. He almost rolled his eyes and said, "I was going to go with inner raven."

"Well, that's much kinder, Mr. Argent. Is that why we're here? To practice control or find an anchor?" I asked, gesturing to Derek. I started to wonder if Allison was also secretly communicating with her father.

"Call me Chris, please. And no, Derek will work on that with you next time. He's only here because the boys had lacrosse practice and I wanted to make sure you were protected." His eyes narrowed in frustration as he spoke. "But I wanted you to be prepared for tomorrow night. Kate hasn't attacked since the last time. By now, she'll know you're a raven and since your conspiracy isn't here yet, attacking you now is a smart move."

"Okay, so I'll have a gun on me tomorrow night," I commented, shrugging.

He shook his head and handed me a sheath. "You can't take a gun to school. But you can conceal a dagger."

"Thank you?" I said, hesitantly. Derek gave me a look. "I mean, I can't take a gun to school, but a knife is okay?"

Derek corrected me. "It's a dagger."

"You'll stick it in this and wear it under your dress," Mr. Argent said, holding up a garter to wear on my thigh. "Your dress is long enough, right?"

"Yes. It should be," I said, rolling my eyes and removing the dagger from the sheath. The blade glinted in the light of the apartment. Running my hand along the handle, I noticed that the Argent family symbol engraved into the handle.

He spoke slowly, watching me. "The blade's made of silver. It's been in my family for generations."

"Oh, I—" I tried to protest but he waved me off.

"You need it more than I do, Veronica. Allison and I adopted a new code, I don't need as many daggers on me. This is my way of protecting someone who can't protect themselves."

Tears started to form and I blurted, "I talk to Allison in my dreams. And sometimes she comments on my day in the back of my mind."

"Scott told me already," he said, gently putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Y-you're not mad? That I didn't tell you right away?" I asked.

"I don't blame you. Allison probably warned you about telling me. It's okay."

With my eyes closed, I nodded. "I wish I understood our connection, but I'm not entirely sure why it's so strong."

"There's an urban legend in my family that my ancestor once saved a raven spirit from a coyote. I don't know how much of that is true, but maybe it's an explanation," he said. Quickly changing the subject, he asked, "Do you know how to use a dagger?"

I shook my head. Argent shifted the handle in my hand, pointing the blade downward. "When you hold it like this, stab. Aim for the eyes, it'll serve as a distraction and possibly kill them."

"Wouldn't I aim for the chest or the heart?" I asked. Derek replied, "No, that wouldn't do anything against a werecoyote."

Turning the dagger the other way in my hand felt natural and I said, "If I hold it like this, how would I defend myself?"

"Swing your arm out, hopefully slashing their neck."

Argent commented, "Those are the basic tactics. Do your best to gain any advantage you can. Elbow them in the stomachs, knee them in the groins."

Familiarizing myself with the dagger for a few seconds longer, I placed it back in its sheath and Mr. Argent pulled me into a startling hug. I relaxed a little as he said, "Use the dagger and you'll be safe. Please be safe tomorrow."

This was what parental love felt like. Part of me knew that this was because of my connection with Allison and the other part felt guilty for enjoying her dad's affection. As unfamiliar it was, I needed it. Out of guilt, or sadness, I started to tear up at the thought, but Allison soothed me, saying, "This is perfect. It's perfect."

* * *

"Oh, you look gorgeous, Veronica," Melissa cooed when she saw me, leaning against the door frame. Scott and his mom offered his house for the four of us girls to get ready, while the boys got ready at the Stilinskis'. I thanked her, smoothing down the front panels of my dress. It was tiered and lacy and white: everything that shouldn't have worked on me but did. Lydia forced it on me and promised that if I hated it, she would let me pick her dress.

I glanced over at Lydia who was curling her hair. Instead of the multicolored, asymmetrical dress I had had my eye on, she wore a blush strapless dress with one layer of flower patterned tulle. She gestured for Malia, who found a sweetheart black dress covered in lace, to help curl the strands she couldn't reach.

"What do you think?" Kira asked, stepping out of the bathroom. Her hair was pulled into a bun on the top of her head, tendrils framing her face. Her dress was midnight blue with scalloped lace across her chest and hit just above her knee.

"Beautiful, Kira," I said. "I knew that dress would be perfect on you."

"What about you? Lydia nailed it with that dress and your french twist." I touched the back of my head, gently, where the strawberry blonde interwove flower pins into my hair.

The doorbell rang. Melissa got up and said, "Oh, there are the boys."

She headed downstairs. I started to follow, but Lydia threw out her arm in front of me, cutting me off. "No, we wait until they're crowded around by the stairs. Then we make our entrance. You last, V."

I laughed at the ridiculousness of her statement until she raised an eyebrow. I asked, "You're a serious?"

"Yes, V." I forgot that Lydia used to be amazing at pretending to be a stuck-up, snobby, vapid queen bee. But parts of her must have genuinely enjoyed the popularity and the perks, I know I definitely wouldn't have minded. I stood behind my three friends and watched them descend to their dates - Lydia doing it flawlessly - before following them. Stiles stood at the bottom of the stairs, face expectant, eyes connecting with mine. I smiled, taking small steps with my hand on the rail. But then my eyes flicked from his to Isaac's, who was giving me a gentle once-over, and I stumbled. Luckily, Kira and Scott had stayed close by and the alpha werewolf reached over and caught me.

"Thanks, McCall." I laughed. Stiles took me by the hand and led me to the living room, where Melissa took our pictures. When we were done, Isaac and Malia took our places. He pressed his hand against the small of my back, led me to the door, and said, "You look absolutely stunning in that dress."

"You're not so bad yourself," I joked, sending him a wink. His lips brushed my ear and he whispered, "I look better naked."

My body tensed at the thought of seeing Stiles naked. I licked my lips and turned my head to say something suggestive, but Scott cleared his throat. With a cheeky smile on his face, he asked, "You two ready to go? We have dinner reservations."

I felt my cheeks turn red at the attention. My date answered for me. "Yeah, let's have some fun!"

* * *

Kira, Scott, Stiles and I got to the dance first after dinner since Lydia and Danny wanted to take a shot of alcohol before entering the gym. We found a table the eight of us could all fit at and sat down. Stiles pulled his chair close to mine and draped an arm behind me. I shifted closer to him without thinking about it. His hand moved to my bare shoulder, tracing circles with his thumb. I almost shivered at his touch. Kira and Scott made their way to the dance floor, where "We Can't Stop" was blasting from the speakers.

Stiles and I stayed where we were, waiting for the other four. When they finally got to us, Lydia sent me a knowing smile and a wink. Danny gestured to the crowd and asked, "Are you gonna sit around or join them?"

He offered his hand to Lydia, who accepted it, and waited for us. Isaac and Malia gave each other a look and shrugged simultaneously before getting up to dance. Lydia winked at me again, then made her way over with her date.

I turned to my own and asked, "Did you want to dance already?"

"Not yet, I think I'm still digesting the food," he said, nervously rubbing the back of his head. Laughing, I patted his stomach, which wasn't bloated in the slightest. I raised an eyebrow. "Fine, I kind of wanted to spend some time alone before getting in the middle of the crowd."

"Thanks for asking me, by the way," I said, grinning from ear to ear.

"What? V. I asked because I really wanted to go with you," he said, defending himself. I placed my hand on his lower thigh and smiled.

"I wasn't questioning your intentions, Stiles. I was just thanking you," I whispered, biting my lip. Stiles gently brushed the back of his fingers against my cheek and cupped his hand around my face. I thought he would tilt my head up so he could kiss me easily, gently, but instead, he rested his forehead against mine and smiled.

I stayed like that for a few more seconds before pulling away. If he wasn't going to kiss me then, he'd have to wait a while longer. Grinning, I said, "Do you wanna dance now?"

Without answering, Stiles laced his fingers through mine and dragged me to dance along to "Timber." He stayed true to himself and put his hand on the side of his head, moving his elbow side-to-side admits a crowd of grinders. Lydia was next to me, laughing her head off, and shouted, "He can't be serious."

"I think he is," I yelled back, laughing just as hard. She nudged me in the side and said, "Show him how it's done, babe."

The genius disappeared back into the crowd, moving herself behind Stiles and effectively pushing him closer to me. He put his arms out, onto my shoulders, to steady himself. Just as he was about to move away and dance horrendously again, I put my hands over his and led them down to my hips, pulling him closer. We were pressed against each other and he had a look of confusion on his face. I smiled at him and turned around, our bodies melting into each other.

When I started to move and grind, he stiffened. I rested my head back onto his shoulder, wrapped a hand around the back of his neck, and touched my lips to his ear to whisper, "Is this okay?"

Stiles nodded, and said encouragingly, "God yes."

I danced more and soon he moved along with me, mimicking my movements and tightening his hold. He moved his hands forward, pulling me into him as much as he could. Our bodies rocked side to side and I threw both arms up and around his neck at every chance I got. The room got hotter and hotter as I shimmied against him, as he nuzzled his face into my bare skin. I whimpered, prompting him to kiss my neck over and over again. His hands moved up and down my sides with confidence; when he had enough confidence, Stiles's hand grazed my ass.

The songs blurred into each other and the bodies surrounding us didn't matter anymore. It was just me and Stiles and him and me and soon, I found myself throwing my head back to nip at his neck. He moaned softly. I moved my hand to his face, turning him to look at me, and his eyes filled with determination. He licked his lips and I leaned up towards him, but then the song changed, a ballad in the place of dance music.

Stiles's hands, still on my waist, turned me around and rested on the small of my back. We swayed in time with the music, but I feared the quietness of the song would give away the sound of my heart pounding in my chest. He was taller than me so I gently laid my head forward, touching his shoulder.

"Are you having fun?"

"I'm having so much fun, Stiles," I said, gazing up at him and smiling. My fingers caressed the back of his neck and our bodies relaxed. I looked around the room and saw Lydia dancing with Danny, giving me a thumbs up. Rolling my eyes, I adjusted my head against Stiles and found Kira and Scott, dancing closely. McCall and I exchanged smiles before smirking at me.

I sighed and looked back at Stiles. As the song started to pick up speed, he smiled and moved one hand from my lower back to my face. His fingers cupped my cheek and I tilted my head up, lips finally meeting.

But our kiss was cut short when Isaac's fist slammed into Stiles. He stumbled backwards and I wrapped my arm around him. Coach Finstock yelled, "Lahey, what are you doing?"

"Nothing," he said, shaking his hand out.

"Then fine. You're all kicked out. Get your merry band of misfits together and leave," Coach demanded. Scott groaned at the order and left to round up Lydia and Danny.

* * *

When we finally got all eight of us outside, I put my hand on Stiles's cheek and asked, "How are you feeling?"

There was a light shade of red where my hand was and it was definitely going to bruise over in the next couple of days. He whispered, while glaring at Isaac, "I felt better before getting punched in the face for no reason."

Scott said, "Isaac, man, what were you thinking?"

"I don't know."

This was ridiculous. But I needed to get rid of Danny before yelling at Isaac, so I said, "Look, Lydia, why don't you and Danny take Malia back home?"

Danny nodded for the three of them and they all got into her car. He said, "Be safe and try not to get into any more fights."

The edges of my lips quirked up as we watched them leave. I hissed, "Isaac, what is your problem?"

"My problem is that the two of you were kissing in front of Malia. Without a single thought in either of your minds that maybe it would hurt her."

Stiles jumped in. "You're concerned about Malia? I think you're jealous—"

"I hate to break up the lovers' spat," a voice whispered in the darkness, "but I have some work I need to get done that involves the little raven over there."

Kate. She stepped out of the shadows, with two others behind her, and we watched without a word. Stiles instinctively moved forward, his arm extended in front of me. My hand touched my thigh, feeling the sheath beneath my dress.

"Oh, that's sweet. The human thinks he can protect his girlfriend. Poor Stiles, don't you know that's your first mistake?"

Scott and Isaac wolfed out. The alpha barked, "Don't threaten him."

"I'm not," she whispered. "I'm threatening the raven. You should choose better friends though, Scott. She's got a dark side - an evil side - just like the rest of them."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"That's too bad," she said, turning her gaze to me. Her voice was honey sweet as she spoke. "Looks like this little pack is going to die in the crossfire and it's all your fault. Tell your flock they shouldn't bother coming. Because then, they'll die too."

When I opened my eyes, I felt my body go cold. I raised my head slowly, pulling the dagger out. Mockingly, she gasped. "Do you think you can take me down? I bet you can't even take down my betas."

Without moving, I said, "You guys should get away from here."

"I'm staying." Scott stood beside me but his voice was wavering. I turned to look at Stiles and Kira, whose bodies were frozen with shock.

"Go," I commanded. Under her breath, Kira asked, voice trailing, "Why do I feel so…?"

Stiles answered, "Yeah, that happens when her eyes do that thing."

The pair moved away and I glanced back at Kate's betas. The man to her right unleashed his claws and I cocked my head to the side. He lunged at me and I stepped to the side swiftly, dodging him. Behind me, Scott murmured, "How is she that quick?"

The werecoyote then tried to claw at me and I ducked under his arm to hit him squarely in the groin with my elbow. He stumbled backwards and before he could regain his balance, I swung the dagger across his throat. The other beta was already moving towards me. Flipping the handle around in my hand, I spun on my heel and jammed it into her eye. I removed it as she fell limp next to my feet.

With my eyes locked on Kate, she howled, calling another werecoyote to fight for her. In a hushed voice, I asked, "I should end this now while I still have the chance."

She laughed at my words and said, "Oh, little raven. We still have so much more time until I kill you."

Every step towards her was deliberate and slow; I gripped the dagger in my hand, my knuckles whitening. Scott warned, "V, don't do this now."

As I lifted the dagger in my hand, pointed towards her, someone tackled me down, knocking the daggers over to Scott. I rolled onto my back, Isaac still on top of me, and felt warmth flood back into my body. He got up and offered his hand, which I took. He touched my face, saying, "You can't do it. Not yet."

I barely heard him speaking because I was too busy looking down at the werecoyotes I maimed. "Oh my god. I-I-I can't believe I did that."

"See how dangerous she is, McCall? You can't trust her. She's too volatile," Kate said. "But don't worry, you won't stand a chance against my first beta. You definitely didn't the last time she attacked you."

We heard growling in the darkness and a familiar silhouette flanked Kate's side. She was dressed in black and had her claws at the ready.


	11. Real or Not

**Author's Note: **Sorry about the lack of updates! But here ya go, my loves. Let me know what you think!(:

* * *

_"See how dangerous she is, McCall? You can't trust her. She's too volatile," Kate said. "But don't worry, you won't stand a chance against my first beta. You definitely didn't the last time she attacked you." _

"Malia," Scott spat. "What are you doing?"

Without answering, she walked forward to stand beside her alpha, with a small smirk on her lips. She stood there solemnly, in her homecoming dress, and Allison whispered, "Lydia."

I snapped my head towards Stiles, who had walked back with Kira after Isaac tackled me, and mouthed "Text Lydia."

He nodded and subtly pulled his phone out of his dress pants to reach her. I was hoping I was the only one Malia hurt. Scott repeated himself. "What are you doing? With her?"

She opened her mouth, then clamped it shut, no doubt mocking us. But she tilted her head, considering indulging us and providing an answer, and put on a crisp smile. Kate commanded her gently, "Ignore them, dear. We're not fighting just yet."

"Why not?" I asked. A ghost of a smile danced onto her lips and in her honey sweet voice, she said, "No. We're outnumbered since you killed the pack members I brought with me."

That did it. In my chest, my heart screeched in pain and my body lost its heat again. As the anger swelled within me, I cast my eyes downward, back to the bodies at my feet. Allison's aunt noticed where my gaze had gone and took her chance to say, "Good thing no one will miss them."

But when I forced myself to send a withering glare to Malia, who was standing silently while Kate ran her mouth off, my heart pounded louder. Not out of fear, or guilt, but anger. She wasn't awkward around me like Stiles suggested, and it wasn't Isaac brought up, about her being uncomfortable because of our kiss. No. She was working against me. Against us. She attacked me and put me in the hospital. It was always her.

"Malia's been a good beta. She surprised me when she came to offer up her services. Apparently, the raven's growing position in your _little _pack was off-putting," said Kate, practically hissing. In the back of my mind, I calculated how fast I would need to move to get to them both. I was quicker than either of them, easily, when my dark side was in control. Getting ready to attack, I shifted towards Malia, about to take the first step forward. But Isaac preemptively gripped my wrist and I stayed by his side instead. He brought me back, warmth flooding my body again. I sighed and moved backward. "Kate, take your dead and leave."

She shrugged at my demands, dismissing them as mere suggestions, and opened her mouth, but Malia twitched, her fist uncurling at her side. Seeing this, Kate snapped her mouth shut. Instead, she picked up the woman, hoisting the body over her shoulder, and gestured for Malia to do the same with the man. Together, they carried their dead away from the parking lot. Away from me. Kate looked over her shoulder and snarled, "We'll come back for you. All of you."

Then they ran. My eyes focused on their backs, watching, until they were completely consumed by the dark. Voice quivering, I asked Isaac,"Why didn't they heal?"

"What?" The werewolf loosened his around my wrist and with a concerned look on his face, asked, "What are you talking about?"

"They were supposed to be healing. I'm almost positive," I said, turning to him while the words spilled uncontrollably out from my mouth. "Coyote spirits are known for their adaptability so their bodies developed a healing power, like werewolves. But those two weren't healing. They're dead, how? I don't—"

My voice cracked on the last words, completely breaking, and I crumbled into Isaac, who wrapped his arms around me. He rubbed his hand up and down my back, whispering into my hair, "It's okay, V. Sh, it's okay."

I relaxed a little but jumped at a noise coming from behind us. I pulled away from Isaac and saw that Stiles and Kira had come back closer to us. Stiles narrowed his eyes at Isaac and the bruise on his cheek was darkening. Pulling away, I looked at Scott and asked, "What did she mean no one will miss them?"

"I don't know. She must've found them or turned people with no attachments to anything or anyone," he said, walking towards me and Isaac. "Let's go to my house and cool down."

Nodding, I said, "I'll let Lydia know what happened."

Scott hung his arm around Kira's shoulders and headed towards the Jeep. Stiles and Isaac both offered their arms to guide me but I refused, walked over to the passenger door, and climbed in myself. The couple sat closely, cuddling, while Isaac got in next to them, leaning away and closing his eyes. When Stiles started driving, my eyes fixated on the darkness outside and I let my mind wander back to the dead werecoyotes.

Stiles reached over, placing his hand over my trembling one, and whispered, "What are you thinking about?"

"Kate's pack members," I said as he looked over at me grimly. "I killed them. And I know I didn't mean to and I wasn't in control, but this just gave me a reason to figure out how to control it."

He parked his car outside Scott's house and I yawned. This altered version of our pack needed to sit down and hash things out. Talk about Malia, Kate, me. Scott shook Isaac awake and sent him to watch over Kira in the house.

"We'll figure things out. But I don't think it's a great idea if we do this now, especially with you and Isaac fighting."

"Good call, buddy," Stiles said, nodding enthusiastically as Scott got out of the car. We got back on to the road, sitting in silence as I pressed myself as close to the door as possible. I cleared my throat, and said, "Stiles, Kira asked you why she felt so…something. And you told her it happened a lot when I turned."

"Yeah, yeah." He reached over and grabbed my hand, tightening his around mine. "I get scared. I know I shouldn't be, but I get so overwhelmed with fear. And when you look at us, your eyes - it feels like they're digging into mine."

After a few moments, once he got the Jeep parked onto his driveway, I finally answered, "That gives me even more reason to learn."

"Come on," he said, hurrying me into the house and out of the cold. I pointed out his dad's car wasn't outside, and Stiles muttered something about the late shift with Deputy Parrish.

We made our way up to his room quickly, silently, together. He picked a few things to change into in the bathroom and left. I reached into the laundry basket by his bed, grabbing my spandex shorts and one of Stiles's comfier tees. I slipped out of my dress and when I was finally ready for a relaxing sleep, Stiles knocked on the door. "Are you decent?" Laughing, I said, "I am, I am."

"I was thinking we should talk," he said as he practically sauntered in to his room and planted himself on his bed. Bewildered, I leaned against his desk, and replied, "We will. You heard Scott, tomorrow is better."

"What? Oh, no. No," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I, uh, I meant about us. You and me."

"Me and you?" I crossed my arms over my chest and looked directly at him. He had a sheepish look on his face and he said, "I mean, we kissed."

"Barely," I said, rolling my eyes. But I stopped when his eyes filled with confusion. I explained, "Isaac broke it up before anything real happened."

Shit. He choked out, "Real? That kiss wasn't real? What about the hand holding or the dancing or anything? None of that was real?"

"No, no. It was, Stiles. All of it. But—" Shit shit shit.

"So what you're saying, V, is you don't like me like that."

"No, what? I - I am not saying that. But it doesn't matter if I do." His face fell. "Because of Isaac?"

Uncrossing my arms to run my hands through my hair, I denied his accusations, "Stiles! There is a war going on, I don't exactly have the time to choose between you and Isaac."

"But—"

I cut him off, hands gesturing wildly and my voice raising. "I might die, Stiles. And I get the whole 'we don't know how much time we'll have left' thing, but if Kate hurt you because of me, because I stupidly acted on my feelings for you? I would go crazy. I'm not ready for this. I'm not ready for any of this."

Stiles gripped his neck again, scratching lightly, and I could see his skin turning red. "I thought—"

"Yes? Please tell me where your mind's at." I sat down next to him on his bed, placing my hand on his knee for reassurance.

"V, I watched Scott lose Allison without ever telling her how he felt still. He might've been moving on with Kira and her with Isaac, but it was devastating to watch my best friend go through that. Losing his first love," Stiles said. His voice started to break and I wanted to reach out and hold him but I kept my hand where it was. "And it was my fault that she died, V. My fault."

"It wasn't—"

"No, no. The point is: I don't want to lose you. And I don't know if there is an us, but I want you to know that I never wanted to pressure you into anything. You're going through a lot," he said. I could see it in the way his eyes were crinkling at the corners: he was remembering the nogitsune. "You don't know what you could do next, what that part of you is planning. People get hurt when you're not in control. Like Allison. Like those werecoyotes."

My body acted separately from my mind and I found myself wrapped around Stiles, practically on top of him. I nuzzled my face into the crook of his neck, whispering, "I'm sorry. We'll get through this and then talk about us. One step at a time, okay?"

"Okay." Then we fell asleep like that, with me holding him or him holding me or holding each other or something. It felt like everything was okay, or would be okay. The two of us were laying down like nothing else was happening outside. Worried, but together.

* * *

_Ally and I were sitting at our spot in the woods. She was swinging her legs, listening as I recounted Homecoming night, about Kate and Malia. Her eyes widened and she breathed, "Malia betrayed you?" _

"I wouldn't say 'betrayed' since we weren't close to begin with. Honestly, I'd feel worse and a lot more surprised if Kate had used Stiles or Lydia against me," I said, shrugging. "Using Malia just felt so predictable."

Allison pulled her legs up onto the table, tucking them beneath her. "I know what you're saying, I get it. But she's been feeding information to Kate. Do you know what exactly?"

"I don't. I know Malia was probably the one who told her I was a raven and that a gigantic flock of ravens is coming to Beacon Hills to attack her."

She corrected, "Conspiracy." I rolled my eyes at her and she ignored that as usual. "It's part of your heritage, V. Be proud. But what we can be sure of is that Kate is building an army."

"Maybe," I said, agreeing with her suggestion.

"But one that the ravens can kill. If they're anything like you, they're deadly."

I shifted uncomfortably and pushed off the table. Ally covered her mouth, "I'm so sorry. I know—"

"I did it with my hands," I whispered, "They didn't even get a chance to fight."

"You couldn't control it. Your spirit sensed immediate danger; you all could have been badly hurt."

Absentmindedly, I paced around the table and said, "If Isaac hadn't pissed me off right before, I probably wouldn't have turned as quickly."

"What?" Oops. I hadn't mentioned that, or the kiss.

"Isaac hit Stiles."

Her eyes widened. "Why?"

"Because Stiles kissed me for two seconds. Isaac claimed it was because we were making Malia uncomfortable. Which could be true." Slapping me across the chest, she shrieked, "You and Stiles kissed and you didn't tell me?!"

"I'm sorry, I thought the Kate thing was more important."

She pulled back to recollect herself. Taking deep breaths, Allison smiled and said, "You're right. You're right. Was it good?"

I nodded. "Did you want more?" I couldn't hide the blush creeping onto my face. "You did!"

"Maybe. But we cleared everything up already and agreed to take things slowly until after this trickster spirit war. You know, if I don't die."

"Whatever, you guys will be good together. He'll be your anchor." Before I answered, I zeroed in on some rustling in the trees. There were never any noises from the surrounding area, it was always the two of us. Allison's eyes followed me as I took a few steps towards the hiking path. "V? Nothing's ever in there. It's just a dream, Veronica."

"There's something in there," I said, leaving her at our spot and making my way into the woods.

Even though there was very little light streaming through the branches, it wasn't too difficult to see. I closed my eyes and heard the rustling again, this time above me, moving through the sequoias' leaves. I watched three black creatures reveal themselves and fall from the tips of the trees to my feet. "Ravens."

They fluttered towards me, fluffing their wings. The one in front I presumed was the leader and they locked their eyes on mine. I bent down, hand slowly extended and it - her? - jumped and landed on my wrist, chirping. Suddenly, black smoke appeared and swirled around us. I couldn't see anything but I felt the raven leave me, crushing the leaves beneath it. The crunch of dried leaves was louder than before and echoed throughout the forest.

Finally, the smoke cleared and I saw a woman and two men, head-to-toe in leather, in place of the ravens. The woman stood in front, the men clearly meant to serve as backup. Their hands hovered over the weapons attached to them. They stared at me, their brown eyes full of what might have been respect. But that wouldn't be right.

Her eyes, on the other hand, were almost black, naturally, and her hair, shoulder-length and choppy, moved gracefully in the breeze. Her red lips curved into a smile and she opened her mouth to speak. "Veronica."

"Who are you?" I asked, making her smile falter. I thought I saw water well in her glimmering eyes, but she blinked whatever it was away and tried again. "Hello, Veronica. You're so grown now."

That didn't make any sense. "H-H-How do you know me?"

"That doesn't matter. Tonight, you killed two werecoyotes. To ease your mind, I thought you'd like to know that they weren't innocent. They were murderers who attacked our families. Your families."

"I don't have a family," I said, coolly. The woman's pitch black hair fell in front of her face, masking her grimace at my words. She pushed it out of her face, exposing a small, star-shaped scar just beneath her right eye.

"You do, in us. We're coming to you, to save you."

"How soon?"

"We were meant to come a week before the solar eclipse. But it seems we need to come sooner. We'll be there in one week. To train you, my dear."

I retorted, "I have a trainer."

"Yes, the Hunter of the Argent clan. His family has served us well through the centuries, with a few exceptions," the man - he had a ponytail - behind her grunted. "The only ones who can train you to reach your greatest potential are the only ones like you."

"Like you?"

"We are your family."

"You are not my family. I have no one except my pack."

"Yes, your 'pack' which consists of two werewolves, a human, a banshee, a kitsune," the other one spat, "and a traitorous werecoyote."

My body went cold. I lunged at the man but the woman stopped me, clutching both of my wrists. "Veronica, we are the only ones you can trust."

"That's a lie. I can the Hales, my pack, Chris Argent."

"Chris Argent, whose sister is the cause for this war, Veronica. He is the worst person to trust." I struck her across the face. I said, "They've been there for me more than you ever were."

The whole of her eyes turned black, and I knew she using her powers. I shivered involuntarily and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Her voice was even as she spoke, "Maybe they have been. But without us, you'll never learn how to be in control. And if you're not in control, Veronica, you will kill more people. Innocent people."

Images of the werecoyotes lying on the parking lot asphalt and bleeding out flashed in my mind. Purposely, deliberate. There was the man clawing at me. Or jamming the dagger into her eye, slashing him across the neck, veins bursting, blood splashing. Blood. Howls. Too much, it was too much. I looked at the woman, wondering how she was doing this, and she smirked. I started to scream, bending back down to the ground and clutching my ears.

_She leapt towards me, her two men clamped their large hands around her wrists and pulled her back before she could reach me. She shouted, "Veronica—"_


	12. I Am Not the Danger

**Author's Note: **Sorry for the wait, but finals got in the way! Well, I'm out of school so hopefully I can give this story the time it deserves ^.^

* * *

By the time Stiles and I got to the McCall's, Lydia's car was already in the driveway in place of Melissa's. He leapt out of the Jeep and I opened the door, ready to get out, but I didn't. Stiles walked around his car and offered his hand. Noticing my hesitance, he asked, "What're you thinking?"

I smiled meekly and shrugged. "I'm worried about Malia and Kate and…Isaac."

His jaw tensed but Stiles squeezed my hand anyway and pulled me out. "It'll be okay, don't worry. Everything will work out, it has to."

"Since when are you not the cynical, sarcastic one?" He threw his head back in laughter as we walked, and answered, "I guess when you showed up."

Stopping at the door, I shot him a quizzical look. "What?"

"I don't know if you know this, but you are quite cynical, V. We didn't need more people being unhelpful." I chuckled at his response and we walked into the house. Lydia was lounging on the large couch, practically glowing, with her hair neatly braided into a casual up-do. I envied her for a quick minute, especially because her and Danny had actually gone to an after party as opposed to sleeping like the rest of us. On the love seat was Kira, clad in a leather jacket and skinny jeans. Stiles and I dropped down next to the strawberry blonde as Isaac and Scott bumbled down the stairs, both with bed-head.

Isaac sat on the armrest by Lydia and his alpha fell into the seat beside Kira, yawning. "So we're all here. Again."

"Yeah," Lydia said, her voice small. "Only if Allison were here." She closed her eyes, clearly wishing, wanting. Isaac's face was solemn and Scott disappeared a million miles away. But I felt her near me, with us, listening as she always did. How it was possible for her to be getting stronger in our world, I didn't know. But if this were like every other night at our spot in the woods, she would be nudging my side with her elbow, telling me to do something about her friends.

I cleared my throat and said, "Actually she's here right now." One of them asked,"How do you know?"

Shrugging, I replied, "I can feel her presence."

"What do you mean?" Isaac asked. His face remained unchanged, unaffected by my words. I could see glimmers of sadness in his eyes though.

"We have a strong connection. Lately, I can feel her near me or hear her in the back of my mind. Her spirit is either getting stronger in our world or I'm getting more powerful."

"Probably the latter," Lydia commented. Her lips, bubblegum pink, turned into a smile, the shine of her teeth peeking out. I knew Allison would smile back just as brightly. "But I'm glad to know that she's around more often. Watching over us."

"Yeah, it is," Scott said, coming back to us, eyes still glazed over a bit. We sat in a comfortable silence, no one wanting to ruin the moment. But we knew that there were emergent matters to attend to and Scott finally broke it. "Last night was ridiculous."

Lydia straightened her back. "V texted me everything, but I still don't get what the hell happened with Malia."

"I was just about to ask you that," I said, facing her. "Did she seem off in the car?"

"She acted like she usually did. We dropped her off at Peter and Derek's," she said, brushing a few strands of hair from her face. "Imagine if the three of us stayed with you guys."

"It's good that you didn't," Kira said. "Less of a chance of you or Danny getting hurt. I mean, Malia, Kate, and the other two werecoyotes? I didn't have my katana in the car either so it would've been a lot worse."

Lydia nodded. "But I still can't believe Malia betrayed us."

"I'm not," Isaac said, shrugging at her and Kira's surprise. "She's a werecoyote. Her loyalties were never with wolves."

"I hate to agree, but he's right," Stiles offered. "Allison told us coyotes hated wolves."

"Then it was smart of Kate to approach her."

Shaking my head, I said, "No way. Kate told us Malia went to her. Ravens and coyotes don't get along."

"But how would Malia know that?"

"We told her. We've been feeding her information."

Before Lydia had a chance to argue, Stiles groaned. "This is all my fault. I'm the one who kept updating her whenever she wasn't around."

"Hey, I'm pretty sure I kept telling you to."

He stood, frustrated, and shoved his hands in his pockets. "But I'm the one that told her we were going to see Argent."

Lydia asked, "But why would that matter to Kate?"

"She wants my head, remember?"

"No, I understand _that_. I meant, why would that have mattered to her then? We didn't know you were a raven until I found it after you were put in the hospital." Her words stirred Allison and she remembered something I'd mentioned I read in Deaton's bestiary. I murmured Allison's thoughts, "What if she already knew what I was?"

Someone asked, "How?" But instead of answering immediately, I started to dig into my bag. I pulled out the bestiary, skimmed through a few of the pages, and finally found what I was looking for. Lydia read, "'_Coyotes, whether in their human, partial, or full forms, are able to sense the presence of a nearby conspiracy. In extremely rare cases, they can catch the scent of a single raven._'"

Scott said, "So what? She came to town, initially looking to take down werewolves, caught scent of a raven, and changed her plan? Actually, that's plausible."

"So it wasn't my fault?" Stiles asked, looking down at the two of us.

Isaac grunted. "Not everything is about you, Stilinski." Ignoring Isaac, I reached for his the tips of his fingers and said, "It was never your fault. We kept updating Malia who gave everything to Kate that she needed to push my buttons. We all trusted her."

Scott smiled meekly and removed his arm from around Kira. Clasping his hands together and leaning forward, elbows on knees, he said, "But we do need a plan to stop her. Or punish her."

Stiles immediately left to the kitchen, muttering something about exes. Lydia peered at me questioningly and I said, "I know it's for the good of the pack, but we'll let him sit this one out." I moved over to the side of the couch, Lydia followed, and Isaac plopped down next to her.

"What do we do about Malia?" Kira asked. Scott moved his arm from around her, touching her knee gently. If I studied him closely, there was defeat crinkling underneath his eyes. He said, "I don't know. Any ideas?"

"Attack her?" Lydia suggested and he shook his head no. "I don't think we should do that yet."

She snapped, "She betrayed us all. And she wasn't possessed by a dark spirit like Stiles was. This was her choice."

"But that could provoke Kate," Kira pointed out. Isaac groaned and I shot him a look. He said, "Who cares?"

"I don't want you guys in unnecessary danger," I started to say, "but according to the bestiary, there's a reason why Kate isn't attacking until the solar eclipse." Lydia handed it back to me. I read, "_'On the solar eclipse, every trickster spirit that draws its powers from the moon will be at their most powerful.'_"

"Okay, fine," Kira argued, "but how do you think Kate will react if we kill her first beta? With a cake and a treaty? She might not attack us, but she'll send someone to."

"We'll do it fast, get Kate too while we're at it." I groaned audibly without meaning to and every single one of them was eyeing me warily. Throwing my hands up, I blurted, "What? It's just like Isaac to do something so impulsively. Like punching someone at a dance instead of dealing with it appropriately."

Across from me, Kira's and Scott's jaws dropped and Lydia, perched on the edge of the couch, shifted nervously between us. From the corner of my eye, I saw Isaac's fists clench and I knew his eyes were yellowing. Lydia and Kira exchanged nervous looks and the latter's boyfriend coughed uncomfortably. One of them clapped their hands together and said, "I'm gonna pick us up some lunch."

The girls jumped up and headed towards the door. The other werewolf glanced at the both of us, still tensely sitting apart. His voice hit a higher octave as he shouted, "Wait for me!"

I pursed my lips and Isaac grumbled beside me, one hand gripping the armrest. "What the hell was that, Veronica?"

Shrugging, I stated, "You know exactly what that was."

"God, V. Way to be _mature_," he spat, his claws digging in. I tried to keep my breathing even, but my temperature was dropping rapidly. He scanned my face and growled: I knew I turned. Instinctively, my back straightened out, my right leg crossed over the left, and my eyebrows raised. I said, smirking, "Careful there. Don't wanna ruin Melissa's furniture, werewolf."

Isaac stood, about to lunge, but I shook my head no. "I'm sorry. That was rude. I should've just punched you instead."

"I told you, it was about—"

"Malia?" I finished for him, finally standing up. I brushed my hands on my jeans and answered, "I know. But I'm calling bullshit, Lahey."

"There it is again. Stop being a cryptic bitch, Veronica." It should've stung, it should've hurt, but it didn't. Allison gasped for me but I couldn't muster up any offense.

"Ouch." He glowered at my sarcastic remark. "I enjoy calling you out on your bullshit. You punched my - Stiles." I started to say "my date" but using his name felt more harmful on my lips. Isaac scoffed. "Your what? Boyfriend?"

"No," I said simply. "And even if he was, you had no right to punch him."

"So if he's not your boyfriend, what are you two?" I swore I saw his face soften at his words but I had no reason to point that out. Instead I watched as he took a few steps towards me.

"That doesn't concern you." I crossed my arms over my chest. Suddenly I realized our bodies were inches apart and it took every bit of control I had not to pull out the dagger concealed at my hip. Or kiss him. My eyes quickly dropped from his lips to his hands, checking to see if his claws were still extended. They were.

"So you are."

"I didn't say that," I corrected him. He narrowed his eyes. "Just tell me if you are."

"Why do you even care?"

Behind me, someone cleared their throat. We both turned towards the stairway and saw Stiles. If my raven was all out, he had to have fought the sickening feeling that swelled in his body. He said, "He's jealous, V."

I stared Isaac down and he growled in response. "Maybe I am."

"Why?"

"Because I felt something with you. And you think you belong with a _human_," he spat at Stiles. Isaac looked at me, almost pleadingly. I stayed like that, hints of warmth creeping up my skin, until Stiles coughed. When my eyes met his, I could see fear; I snapped back to the werewolf and I didn't understand. Stiles was terrified, I was full-on Raven right now but Isaac, Isaac wasn't.

Stiles whispered, effectively bringing me back from my thoughts, "Come back to me, V. Please." I didn't answer him right away, instead speaking to Isaac. "He's more than human, Lahey. But that's not the point. The point is, it's not your concern because there is so much more going on that I don't have the time to pick between you. At least he understands that."

"Looks like you already made a decision."

"As if you told me you were a choice."

"Why would I have to tell you?" He growled louder this time. "I could hear whenever your heart picked up around me."

I glared at him and smacked my lips. "Stiles voiced how he felt. He owned up to his feelings. You did nothing."

He shouted, "I saved your damn life."

"And I am so grateful for that, Isaac. But that doesn't mean I owe you anything romantically," I said. "But you pleaded with me to risk my life so I could try to summon Allison and you could talk to her." His eyes flicked upwards at the front door and lingered and I knew the other three were back.

Isaac grimaced. "No, so all of us could have one final goodbye."

"But you didn't care if I got hurt."

"Is that why you've been avoiding me? Because I put Allison before you?"

"I don't care that you put her before me. It makes sense, okay? I get it. I'm never going to replace her and I don't want to." My voice cracked. "But I didn't want to get involved with something that big. Especially with people trying to kill me."

"But you and Stiles—"

"We're not anything," Stiles said without even giving me a chance to argue back. Isaac's body visibly relaxed and I glanced over my shoulder at the three pack members hovering in the corner and tried to offer a smile. But instead of a reassuring smile both Kira and Lydia stepped back in fear and Scott's claws appeared at his side.

"V, control yourself."

"I'm trying."

"Are you sure? Because every time this happens, you scare the shit out of us and make us sick to our stomachs."

Kira reached out to him, warned, "She's trying her best, Scott."

"Then get help from Derek or me."

"It's not the same, McCall. You're a shifter, you need an anchor. I'm a spirit that's only tied to death in this world.

He flashed his canines at me. "You are putting us all at risk, V."

"I am doing my best to control it, Scott. See? I'm not attacking you, am I? You're not in danger right now."

Scott's eyes flashed red. "But I feel threatened right now. You need to control it, your power, because I can't put my pack in danger."

"Fine, kick me out. My conspiracy is coming in one week. They'll train me and protect me. Unlike you," I spat.

"What?"

"They understand that I need the right kind of training to defeat Kate. They're only ones that can train me."

"Why are they coming?"

"The incident with Kate made them realize I need help."

"You can trust them?"

"I have no one else to trust."

"Us. We're your family."

"Are you? Because you'd rather kick me out at my weakest than help me get stronger. Kate is trying to kill me and you're about to feed me to her."

"That's not—"

I smirked, crossing my arms again. "Tell me, Scott. Do you want to be on the losing side or mine?"

"Ver—"

"Because for anyone who gets in our way, I make no promises."

He lunged at me, and I drew my dagger, but Isaac moved to stand between us. I slammed into him, warmth immediately pouring into my heart. I trembled at the sight of my hands, dropping the dagger, and whispered, "I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry."


	13. Inner Raven

**Author's Note: Changed a few plot details, ravens come in one week, not two days. Thanks!**

* * *

_"Are you ready for tonight?" Allison draped her arm around me. _

_"I have to be, y'know?" I answered. Then I looked away, and said, more to myself than to her, "I need to trust them."_

* * *

Isaac and I were sitting side by side at one of the courtyard tables after school. My skin was soaking up the bright sunshine, a light breeze passing by every now and then. Closing the economics book splayed out in front of me, I sighed and said, "I really miss southern California. Constant sun and warmth. All year round."

"We still get that," he said, laughing. The last week or so had been a refreshing course in friendship for Isaac and me; Scott, on the other hand, was still tense after the close call at his house. But Isaac was good and the connection between was stronger than ever. I pushed his head away and said, "Shut up. It gets dreary here in the winter months. You know that."

"Yeah, yeah." Isaac grinned at me before gesturing to the closed textbook. "Are you done with your section of the econ project then?"

"Almost, but I can't really focus on it right now." He nodded in understanding. We both stood, packing up our bags, and smiled when we heard the loud clicks Lydia's heels against the concrete. She sauntered towards us, Stiles not too far behind.

Gripping her purse, she asked, "Excited about tonight?"

"Absolutely. And scared. I mean, this woman has to be really powerful. She's possessed me and tapped into my dreams." I slung my bag onto my shoulder.

"But do you trust her?"

The four of us made our way to the parking lot, stopping at Lydia's car. "A little, I think."

Stiles clasped his hands together, rubbing them almost frantically, and asked, "Okay. What's the plan? Do you need me to drive or go with you? Or Scott?"

"Actually no," Isaac said, a small smile dancing onto his lips, "I'll be with her."

"Why you?"

"Stiles!" Lydia slapped him across his chest. "He's a werewolf. You've seen V's skills and now imagine an entire pack of more powerful and better trained ravens. Isaac will provide better physical protection. Not to mention, they'll probably enjoy a wolf's presence over us humans."

I smiled at her gratefully as Stiles rolled his eyes and groaned, "Fine, I guess that makes sense."

"Alright, I'll meet you at 5, V?" Isaac asked. I nodded and he hopped on his motorcycle and drove off. Lydia said, "Okay, good luck tonight. Call me after."

"Thanks, Lydia." Stiles draped his arm around me as we walked towards the Jeep and I shivered at his touch.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." I glanced up at him, through my eyelashes. It had been a little over a week since we kissed at Homecoming and I really wanted to do it again. But after our talk about going slow and my screaming match with Isaac, it seemed wrong to want it the way I did. Not to mention we had less than four weeks until the solar eclipse and I needed to focus on Kate and her war on Ravens. Stiles shook me out of my own thoughts and pulled away, leaning against the side of his car. He smiled at me and asked, "What are you thinking about, V?"

Allison whispered, "She's thinking about you." I shrugged away her from my mind. "Nothing important."

He closed his eyes hard, as though he were in pain, and took a deep breath before blurting, "Do you want to go on a date with me?"

"Tonight? Because I kind of have a thing…."

"No, you goof. But definitely soon." He opened the door for me and I climbed in, grinning. I picked up off a few stray pieces of grass from my dark wash jeans as Stiles got in and gripped the steering wheel, saying, "I know we talked about taking things slow for the sake of Kate and I don't know exactly what that means, but I'm pretty sure you wanted to wait until after the solar eclipse so we can go on a date after that, hopefully. But if—"

I kissed him on the cheek. "Stiles, I want to go on a date with you. This Friday maybe?"

"Really?"

"Yes."

"It won't be huge or anything, not fancy."

"So McDonald's?"

"No. Definitely not. But it'll be good. Depending on your new training schedule, right?"

"Yeah, I gotta figure that out with them tonight, I guess. I still want Argent to train me in weaponry."

"That'll be helpful when you go Raven on the werecoyotes. I have a question for you though."

"Shoot."

"I, uh, was wondering," Stiles began. He was scratching at his neck with one hand and tightening his grip on the wheel with the other; he was more nervous asking me this than about going on a date with him. "Do you think you'll meet your parents tonight?"

_Parents._ My breath caught in my throat and I dropped my gaze to my lap. I whispered, "That didn't cross my mind."

"Oh. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up," he said quickly, reaching over to grab one of my hands. His thumb gently stroked my knuckles and my mind cooled down.

"It's okay. I mean, I always thought they would be my family. But parents? The idea of me actually having any is- is absurd."

He parked on his driveway and said, "Hey, V, listen to me. It's not absurd, maybe - maybe they're out there. Maybe it'll be tonight. Don't give up hope."

"Maybe. But what if it's true? What if it only breeds eternal misery?"

"You'll be fine." He cracked a smile and put his arm around me, rubbing my bare arms. I smiled at him, his face now inches away from mine. And his eyes dropped their gaze from my eyes to my lips for almost a minute before dipping further down. Confused, I followed his stare and realized my gray tank top had fallen, revealing a sliver of my black and nude lace bra. I almost tugged it back up but accidentally glanced at Stiles again, and stopped myself. He licked his lips slowly and my breath caught in my chest. _Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me_. He started to lean and —

"Hey you two," Sheriff Stilinski said through the crack of the window. Stiles pulled away and saluted his father. "I'm heading to the station right now, I won't be back for dinner."

Through his teeth, Stiles said, "Thanks. Dad." Once the Sheriff walked away, I laughed loudly and hopped out of the Jeep.

* * *

"Veronica," Isaac started, "it's okay to be nervous."

"I am definitely nervous. I am not denying that." We were sitting in my car, watching the clock make its way to 5:30. "We're in the middle of the woods, it's gonna get dark, and we'll be alone with dangerous creatures."

"But they're your conspiracy."

"I know. I know. It's just." I gripped my steering wheel tighter until my knuckles turned white. Isaac reached over and removed my hands, gently rubbing them, successfully relaxing me a bit.

"What's up?"

"Stiles mentioned my parents. And I shouldn't even be worrying about my parents because we've got a war coming on. Like, this not some bullshit orphan self-discovery journey. It's real, it's supernatural, it's dangerous."

"You're a teenager."

"Who's a killer."

"But you're still a teenager. Who's never known her parents, or if they're even alive."

"So helpful."

He rolled his eyes and pointed at the clock. It was 5:29. The two of us got out of the car and made our way into the woods, ignoring the obvious, Beacon Hills-mandated hiking trail. The ravens mentioned a Twilight-like clearing in the forest some time during the week, so I lead Isaac. The sound of leaves breaking beneath our feet seemed louder than usual and I couldn't help but notice the looming silence in the trees. Isaac kept one hand outstretched, touching my elbow, at all times. After a several beats, he spoke softly, "I wonder what it would be like if my parents were still alive and happy. It's okay for you to be curious about your own."

"Thanks, Lahey. For so much," I whispered, moving branches and bushes out of the way.

"Yeah, well, I thrive on danger." Whipping my head around, I glared at him. But before I could say anything, we were greeted at the clearing by a large group of people, head-to-toe in black.

The woman from my dreams, with her choppy, shoulder length, pitch black hair, stepped forward. She opened her mouth, again painted crimson red, and said, "Veronica. It's good to see you."

"It's great to see you in person. And not being possessed." She smiled meekly at me. Isaac half-barked, "What's your name?"

"Diana." She smiled meekly and gestured to Isaac. "And you are?"

"Isaac Lahey."

"The werewolf," grunted one of the men behind Diana, flexing his muscles. In response, Isaac's claws extended and he growled. I put a hand on his arm and Diana shook her head no. She was clearly the leader - or was it the Ser?

She said, "That aside, we have much to discuss. There are two weeks until the solar eclipse. I presume you know that Isaac is your werewolf as you are his Raven."

Isaac spoke for me. "Yeah, what is that exactly?"

"There is an ancient myth that when the Raven spirit came down to earth and assumed a human form to fight the Coyote spirit, the werewolf was the first supernatural creature to offer their services."

"Okay," I said, nodding. That story had been included in Deaton's bestiary.

"And through time, the bond was cemented, creating emotional tethers between the two creatures. You've noticed that if Isaac touches you when your Raven is out, your humanity immediately returns?"

Together, we answered, "Yes."

"But be wary, please, it is not uncommon for the emotional ties you feel with each other to be confused with love. It is not love; in fact, it is impossible for werewolves and ravens to fall in love."

Isaac stiffened beside me, the veins in his neck visible and bulging. I couldn't help myself when I asked, "Why?"

"There are many different answers that have been told throughout time, but we are still unsure of the reason or the choices that were made by our ancestors," she said. Diana was elegant but the ferocity in her eyes never wavered. "But enough of that, Veronica. We have a little less than two weeks before Kate strikes, before the solar eclipse."

"Down with Kate! Down with Kate!" the crowd of ravens shouted and jumped. My eyes widened at their excitement and Isaac's expression matched my own.

Diana held out a hand, effectively silencing them. She smirked and said, "Soon enough. We will get our revenge on the she-coyote. But for tonight, we welcome a new member into our family, _under our wings._"

If Stiles were here, he'd have been proud of her clearly intentional pun. She continued, "Veronica needs to be trained; this is her war. Her fight. She is one of us, we cannot leave her defenseless."

I blurted, "Why is it my war?"

Diana's eyes locked on mine, muddled with confusion and concern. "You don't know?"

"I don't know anything." A few of the men and women behind her cracked smiles. "I mean, I don't know why Kate is starting this _war_ with Ravens, let alone my position in it."

"Kate plans to wipe out the existence of our creatures. There used to be a Beacon Hills conspiracy, but in the months when the nogitsune ran rampant, her and her pack terminated them. But then you arrived and became impossible to kill. Isn't that accurate, werewolf?"

Isaac grabbed the back of his neck and looked at me sheepishly. I crossed my arms over my chest, waiting for an explanation. "You were in danger at the beginning of the school year. Scott couldn't pinpoint the attacks and since he thought Derek was with Cora, he didn't really know what to do."

"Scott was protecting me? Even when he didn't trust me?"

"Yeah. Deaton had determined you were a human over the summer, and when you came clean, that's when the attacks started."

"For which I thank McCall and the others in your pack, for keeping you safe," Diana said, joining the conversation again. "You are Kate's target because she has a personal vendetta against the creatures that protect Beacon Hills. This revenge she seeks stems from thousands of years of feuding between the Coyote and Raven spirits."

"So because of some bullshit feud that I found out about _weeks_ ago, I'm her number one target?" I asked, throwing my hands up.

"Yes."

"Bullshit. Bull_shit_."

"Sometimes revenge has no place for logic."

"Okay, fine. I don't like this at all. But just teach me, please."

She gestured to one of the men standing behind her. I hadn't seen him before, but there was a familiar tug at the sight of him. "Of course. This is Steven, your - trainer. If you wish to continue training with Chris Argent, which I assume you do, despite the fact he has nothing else to teach someone with your abilities, Steven will come with you."

The man - Steven, was it? - had short, black hair that stuck up in every which way and warm, caramel-colored skin. He walked over to me and extended his hand. "It's good to see you. We can begin your training as soon as you'd like."

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," he repeated.

Isaac and I stood there, a giant question looming over the silence between all of us. He nudged my shoulder, shooting me a pointed look. I sighed and asked, not specifically to anyone, "Do you know why my parents abandoned me?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Diana answered, "Veronica, your parents didn't abandon you. When you were born, your parents were attacked. And your mother died."

"And my dad?"

"I knew your father, very well, and he told me that he needed you to be safe. So he hid you somewhere, he wouldn't tell me in fear of betrayal."

"But he's alive?"

She shook her head, her hair moving gracefully, and grimly said, "Kate killed him."


	14. Tag

**A/N: **Hey guys! I know it's been awhile and I know this chapter is, like, super short in comparison to the rest of my story. :/ Sorry about that! But I felt this should stand on its own, to help you guys get to know Steven. ^.^ Hopefully I'll crank out the next chapter in about a week. Happy fourth of July!

* * *

I gripped the steering wheel as I drove to the warehouse Papa Argent usually trained me to meet Steven. Kira had her katana in the back and was mindlessly chatting about how excited she was to see me develop my Raven powers. Her phone beeped and she said, "Scott and Stiles said they're almost there."

"Great," I responded, not really caring. It was sweet that they cared and wanted to watch over me during the "special training" but I had Kira. That should've been enough.

Sensing my dislike of the overprotective boys, Kira, raising her hands up, changed the subject "Okay, so Kate killed your dad?"

"Yes, according to Diana," I said, loosening my grip from the steering wheel. She hesitated for a second, before asking, "And you think she's telling the truth?"

"Why would she lie about that, Kira?"

"Because she wants to give you another reason to hate Kate? I don't know, V. But sometimes the people you're supposed to trust don't always tell you the truth."

"Look, I know your parents lied to you last year. A lot. They shouldn't have done that. But I don't need another reason to take Kate down; she's already tried killing me multiple times. Even when I didn't know it," I pointed out. Parking my car outside the warehouse, I saw the boys leaning against the Jeep. Stiles was in his signature flannel and Scott looked like he was trying too hard to be like Derek or Isaac, wearing a slightly too big leather jacket, dark wash jeans, and sunglasses.

Kira snickered. "I know he's an Alpha. And that's pretty sexy. But I'm not gonna lie, I do miss his puppy-like demeanor."

"Well, tell him that. Guys love knowing what turns their girl on," I said, winking at her. She giggled and replied, "Like he needs help turning me on."

I shook my head in gross disbelief and hopped out of the car. Stiles trotted over to me, wrapping his arms around me. There was a half-second where he awkwardly started pulling away before I let go of his torso, causing us both to chuckle nervously. Scott snorted behind us, throwing his arm around Kira and tugging her towards the entrance of the rundown building.

He took my hand in his, which was incredibly soft, and we headed towards the wolf and fox together. But I took a second to tiptoe and placed a light peck on his cheek. A smile crawled onto his face and I grinned, dragging him into the warehouse.

To see Steven already there. He was in black everything: basketball shorts, v-neck, sunglasses. And barefoot. Seeing him in the day time was eye-opening; his presence felt older, wiser, more harmless. The feeling I used to get around new supernatural creatures was strong and thick. I could tell Steven was older than what I assumed him to be. After a minute under my scrutinization, he clasped his hands together and said, "Hello, Veronica! I see you brought a little army."

"No, I brought my _pack_. But good to see you too," I said, a little too harshly. "Kira. Stiles. Scott. This is Steven. My new- um."

"Mentor," he finished. He took a few steps toward us, pointing to each of my friends. "Ah, yes. The fox, human, and wolf. Quite an interesting combination. In my past experiences, wolves and foxes don't get along. In fact, they enjoy feeding on the naivety of humans."

"Yeah, well, we do things a little differently in Beacon Hills," Scott defended.

"We're aware. But Veronica. Getting started, I know you know how to use guns and daggers. Quite fantastic really." Steven started to walk back towards the middle of the room, and in his stance and his walk, he had to be at least 10 years older than us. Of course, his skin showed no wear or tear from time, perfectly smooth and tan. "Since you're only used to banshees, werewolves, and hunters, we'll go over what you can't do: not as strong, no canines, no nails."

My face fell at the lack of abilities. "But, as a raven, you have speed and agility. And an amazingly intelligent and strategic mind. Paired with the physical skills Argent taught you, you will be a force to be reckoned with."

I hesitated before speaking, a bit in awe at his words. From behind, Stiles voiced my thoughts, saying, "You guys really believe in her, don't you?"

"Of course. She might be young. And though she never had a conspiracy to teach you anything in 17 years whereas that's where some of the most crucial training takes place. But you are one of the strongest and best fighters I have seen."

"Make me stronger. Now."

"As you wish." He led me to the middle, thanked me for wearing my black yoga pants, and instructed me to stand shoulder width apart and put my left foot in front of my right. Steven guided my hands slightly away from my body, almost as though I were a werewolf, extending my claws. "Think of something that makes you angry."

Eyes closed, I thought about Kate killing my dad, torturing Derek, attacking me. But I knew I was still emanating body heat. Steven spoke, "Clearly, whatever you're thinking about is not good enough. I want you to be angry, Veronica. Channel it. I know it's in you."

I slipped into a deeper concentration, brows furrowing. Malia, Homecoming. Steven's voice rang, breaking my thoughts. He taunted, "Veronica. You're better than this. Kate killed an entire conspiracy. Kate killed your dad. Kate turned a member of your pack against you."

If anything, it all just made me sad. But he kept talking. "If fighting to stay alive in a feud that isn't yours doesn't make you angry, I suppose I should appeal to the teenager in you. You'll never be with that wolf of yours. What's his name? Isaac. There seems to be a human boy over there who likes you. But you'll constantly put him in danger and he might not even like you. He might still be in love with your best friend. Are you angry yet?"

My eyes were still closed and I shook my head. "You have a dead girl in your dreams and your pack would gladly choose her over you any day. Your father abandoned you when you were a baby. Anything?"

"No," I whispered. My ears were ringing and my head was throbbing in pain, but I wasn't mad. I couldn't even muster it up. I could feel Steven's presence, inches away from my face, as he said, "Either you're better at controlling your anger than I thought, or you just don't care about your friends or your family. Or maybe you're just inadequate. You're not cut out to be a Raven. I can't believe we thought you could handle this. You can't. Because you're _weak._"

"No!" I said again, shouting this time, my voice booming through the warehouse. Scott and Stiles groaned from wherever they were and I opened my eyes, scowling at my mentor. His eyes were black too.

"There. You've channeled it. Now control it. Find your humanity," he demanded. With my voice low and even, I said, "I can't. Not. Without. Isaac."

Steven shrugged. "That's too bad. He's not here. _Do it yourself_."

"You were a lot nicer before." My hands balled into fists at my side, my mind calculating

"I always am." In an instant, his eyes blinked back to hazel. "Your friends are frightened, Veronica. Especially the fox. Go back." I relaxed my body and waited. But nothing happened. One look back at Kira, Stiles, and Scott confirmed that I was still turned. "Do it for your friends. Relax your body. Let it all go."

And I did. Steven walked over to me and patted my back. "Good job. _Now turn back_."

For some reason, I wasn't able to grasp that previous anger again. Maybe I couldn't— _Not weak. Strong. _Allison's voice soothingly repeated the words over and over and over in my head. _Do it._ I let it happen, the anger take over me. More slowly than I was used to, more in control. One look at Steven's smirk, I knew I had changed.

For the next hour, Steven rapidly spat commands and I shifted back and forth between states as fast as I could. Each time I could feel myself gaining more and more over it - and it was liberating! - but I knew I hadn't mastered it. Glancing over my shoulder between shifts, I noticed that Scott had already taken Kira back home and Stiles was sprawled across a few chairs leftover from when the building was still in use.

Steven walked closer to me and patted me on the back. "You've done good, kid," he said. I tried to give him as nice a smile as I could muster. "Do you wanna try something new or go rest? These are basics you learn as a kid, so I know that it has to be exhausting trying to catch up as 17 year old."

"How old are you?" I blurted. I grimaced after the words left my mouth. "Sorry. You don't have to answer. Why don't we try something new? I can't rest now."

He chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I'm almost 42 in human years. But we age much slower than humans." Steven paused for a moment as I digested his answer. "You still want to keep going?"

"I want to learn more," I stated, crossing my arms over my chest. "I want to be good."

"And you will be," he replied. "But you also need rest. We'll work for about 10 more minutes, previewing, so to speak, what we'll do tomorrow night." I nodded reluctantly. "Okay, turn."

When I opened my eyes after the change, his own eyes were pitch black. In a flash, Steven was at the other end of the building. I smiled and followed, but by the time I reached him, he was already gone. Stiles jerked awake and yelped at the sight of Steven hovering close to him. I laughed and ran towards them in a few seconds, but once again, he managed to move before I caught him. Stiles whipped his head back and forth between the two of us, a mixture of wonder and confusion on his face. With my back facing the rest of my building, I listened to see if I could pick up on any movements. I was careful not to twitch or give any indication I was about to move.

There was a light patter in the left corner of the building and in a few strides, I found myself tapping Steven on the shoulder, saying, "Tag. You're it."


	15. The Darkest Night (pt1)

We stood outside Scott's locker, all of us together for what seemed like the first time since Homecoming. Scott was putting books away before practice and had a single hand on the small of Kira's back. I clasped my hands together and said, "Let's have a party."

Lydia shot me a look. "You can't be serious."

"Tomorrow night. It'll be perfect."

Kira shook her head at me and said, "You're crazy."

Pointedly, I said, "Every single one of you told me that senior year would be great and full of parties. And I acknowledge the fact that that was before you realized I knew about the supernatural world, but we've spent the last two and a half months preparing for Monday night. Guess what? I have nearly nothing left to prepare for. Sure, a few more training sessions with Steven here and there, but I'm ready for Kate. So let's just pretend for one single night that we are teenagers, and not killers, not detectives, not protectors."

"That was a very rousing speech, V, but don't get cocky," Isaac said.

But then Scott closed his locker and looked at every one of us. "She's got a point," he said, shrugging slightly. I looked at my Alpha gratefully, and then back at the rest of the pack, pleading with them through my best puppy dog eyes. Lydia grumbled in agreement and Stiles threw his hands up in the air.

He said, "Will there be any alcohol?"

"Well, I don't think Scott, Kira, or Isaac will even be able to get buzzed. And I know I'll sober up too quickly for your tastes, but feel free to," I said, winking at him. Stiles crossed his arms over chest. "What if we had an X-Men movie marathon instead of a party? With a shit ton of popcorn?"

I conceded and the rest of the pack nodded, huge grins splattered across their faces. My date tonight with Stiles would be a nice preview of our lives post-solar eclipse and tomorrow would be one hell of a night. Kira, Lydia, and I walked the boys to practice and sat in the bleachers, discussing what I could wear. As the two girls went off on all the ideas that had for my hair, I glanced at the field and caught Isaac's gaze. We smiled briefly before I turned back to the conversation.

* * *

By the time we got to Lydia's house, the kitsune and the banshee were moving quickly with excitement. I stared at the two of them as they set up all of the supplies they were planning to use.

"Isn't this a bit trite, Lyd? Stiles knows what I look like," I mumbled.

She rolled her eyes, slight disappointment washing over her face. "I can't believe you guys are finally doing this and you're against looking nice."

"I'm not against it. I just don't see the point."

"The point is, by putting in effort to look incredible, you are letting him know that you're into him," she explained, applying a bit of foundation to my cheeks. Kira nodded, giddily, and gloated, "Didn't I tell you that you two would be dating this year?"

"It's just a date. Remember, I'm still unsure if my feelings for him are real or not. I already confused my emotional tether with Isaac with feelings." She stuck her tongue out at me and said, "But Homecoming? And the epic kiss?"

Lydia swept my hair out of my face, a chill spreading across my neck. "Kira, how was it epic? Isaac punched him in the face before we even had a chance to get into it!"

"Please, that counts. He's totally into you. And I mean Stiles, not Isaac."

Lydia added, "She has a point, V. If he wasn't into you, Isaac's punch would've scared him away. No one wants to go up against a jealous wolf."

"Okay, maybe. But you sure you're okay with this?" I asked. She gestured me to smile as she swept the blush brush across my cheeks. "For the millionth time, V: yes. I told you that Stiles and me - we never had the right timing. And we never wanted to leave who we were dating for each other. Jackson, Aiden, Malia."

Kira, diligently working a braid across the front of my scalp, chimed, "Plus, she totally has a thing for Parrish."

I turned my head towards her. "Who?"

"Don't move!" Lydia chided. Then quickly mumbled, "And he's no one."

"The cute deputy with the dreamy eyes that works at the station."

My head twitched towards Lydia, who pressed her lips together as she rubbed a little more cream on my forehead. "What cute deputy? Wait, this is why you're over teenage boys! Why have I never seen him?"

"I don't know. Maybe because Kate hasn't murdered anyone."

"Meaning?"

"The police only get involved if it looks like a police case. Like murder. It's how it was with Jackson as the Kanima or the Darach. The sheriff was even involved with Malia's case."

Kira finished the braid and fastened it with a hair tie, before saying, "And she hasn't killed anyone. Is that surprising?"

"Given that she was a psychotic killer who turned into a bloodthirsty werecoyote…. A bit," Lydia said, nodding as she put liquid eyeliner on my eyelids.

"I still don't get what she wants with me then. She hasn't even tried to kill me." She swiped lip gloss across my cheeks and directed me to her closet.

Plopping on her bed, Lydia said, "Sweetheart, we talked about this. After Homecoming remember? Coyotes have a heightened scouting ability. She caught your scent as soon as you started coming into your full powers at the beginning of the semester."

"Okay, sure, but I didn't start working on fully embracing my powers until _after_ Malia attacked me," I reminded her as I tried on a peach and black floral shift dress. "We're assuming that she managed to wipe out an entire conspiracy as a young, bloodthirsty werecoyote who then exercised excellent self-control for the next seven months and didn't kill any innocent people?"

I stepped out of the closet, showing them the dress, and both of them agreed with large smiles on their faces.

"She has a point," Kira commented from Lydia's desk, eyebrows scrunched. "That doesn't sound like a psychotic hunter turned uncontrollable werecoyote to me. But what are we missing?"

"The fact that there were no Ravens in Beacon Hills before V." We turned to see Stiles smiling grimly at the doorway.

"And _how_ do you know that?" Lydia asked.

"We know that some of the Argent family lived in Beacon Hills before Chris and his family moved back our sophomore year. Chris also said that none of his relatives have come across a Raven in centuries. Deaton couldn't even identify what you were over the summer without an heirloom bestiary. _Because he never met one._"

"Beacon Hills is a big town."

"But there wasn't an influx of supernatural creatures until after we reset the nemeton. Everyone knew who the Hales were and if there was an entire flock, one as big as you say Diana's is, living here, someone would have known. Derek, Peter, Chris, or Deaton."

"Derek was able to figure out I was a kitsune just by using his eyes. He saw my inner fox," Kira said quietly.

"Stiles, what are you saying exactly? That Diana lied to me?"

"Maybe she assumed that because there no more Ravens living here that Kate must have killed them all. Especially after they found out she was targeting you."

"If there were no Ravens here, that means she didn't break an alliance. If there were no Ravens, she didn't kill them. So why is she targeting me?"

Lydia spoke up. "What if she isn't targeting you, V?"

"She has to be! Kate attacked us outside of Argent's, she used Malia as a mole, she ambushed me after Homecoming, and kidnapped—" I stopped short, looking at Stiles. "She kidnapped Derek."

"She kidnapped Derek before you even showed up. And disappeared."

"For seven months."

"You were attacked after Derek escaped and came home." Kira said, "Kate's not after you. She couldn't have known you were with Scott and Stiles at Argent's."

"She thought Derek would be with the two of you."

"But he wasn't and Malia attacked you out of jealousy," Lydia added. "Coyotes mate for life and if Stiles was her mate…."

Shaking my head, I reminded her, "But there wasn't anything going on between us at that time."

"We _were_ holding hands as we tried to get inside the building safely," Stiles corrected. "Besides, Malia could've been a mole in our group and not specifically because of you. And after we got kicked out of Homecoming? We were all there."

I closed my eyes and groaned. "Kate was trying to turn you guys against me by baiting Scott and telling him I was too dangerous for his pack. I easily could've turned and killed one of you, but she didn't even consider that I'd protect y'all. She wanted Scott to kick me out so I'd turn to her."

"Neither of you knew the loyalty ravens had to wolves. She thought it would work."

"Guys," Kira said, frowning, "the bestiary said that only tricker spirits who draw their powers from the moon are strengthened by the solar eclipse. Not shifters, like wolves."

"That means—" Lydia started before her voice cut off, not able to speak.. The four of us stared at each other, bleak expressions as it dawned on us. I spoke softly, "It means Kate's not killing Ravens. _She's hunting werewolves_."

The silence was somber, none of us wanting to break it yet. "Wait, Stiles. How did you get in?"

"I, uh, rang the doorbell three times, and no one answered," he said, scratching his neck, "All your cars were here and I got worried. So I, uh, used the emergency key that, uh, Lydia's mom leaves under the loose brick outside."

"Why do you know where that is?"

He shrugged. "My dad's in law enforcement. I take after him."

The girls chuckled to themselves, barely audible.

"The movie's about to start, we should go," I said, mustering as much enthusiasm as I could find, and, finally, smiled.

"No, we can't," Stiles said with such finality that I knew protesting of any sort was futile. "Lyd, Kira, go find Scott and Isaac. Make sure they're okay and warn them. V and I are gonna go find Diana. See if this is plausible in any way." Stiles grabbed my hand and as we tumbled down the stairs, his grip tightened. We exchanged nods before splitting off in our respective directions.

Once we were safely on the road, I turned to him and blurted, "Every date after this will be completely normal and free of all supernatural going-ons."

"Every date after this, huh?" He squeezed my hand and smirked.

"Oh, shut up."

"Okay, fine." After a few quiet minutes, with his eyes fixated on the road, he hesitantly started to speak again. "Do you think Diana knew about Kate's real motives?"

I smiled gratefully - and hoped he could barely see it in his peripherals - and answered, "I don't think so. She wouldn't know about Kate's personal vendetta against wolves; Diana probably assumed she was a werecoyote first, vengeful bitch second."

"So you trust them?"

"I have to. They're like me. They helped me."

"You trust them more anything?"

"No," I replied with a slow, deliberate head shake. "I trust the pack more than anyone. Especially you."

He slammed down on his brakes, eyes squinting at silhouettes standing in the middle of the road. "What the —"

"It's Diana and Steven." I let go of his hand and scrambled out of the Jeep. "What are you doing here?"

"We sensed you needed us," she said, shrugging indifferently. Seeing the look of confusion on my face, she continued, "You're one of us. A part of our conspiracy. We'll know when you're in danger."

"We're not in danger," I said at the same time Stiles threw his hands in the air and exclaimed, "Right! You had to show up in the middle of the road. Not send a text or call to let us know that you know V's in trouble so we can meet you somewhere _not in the middle of the road._"

"Ravens do not use human technology."

Before he could retort, I covered his mouth with my hand. "Are you sure that there were other Ravens in Beacon Hills before me?"

"Of course. Very few cities are supernatural centers in this country. Beacon Hills would have had one conspiracy and one wolf pack, like the Hales."

"It doesn't make sense. Why would Kate care about any of this? About Ravens?"

"You're being childish. Questioning things that do not need to be questioned."

"I'm not being childish. Look, Kate doesn't know anything about being a werecoyote - hell, she probably thought she was a werewolf at first. So why would she break an alliance between creatures her family hasn't seen in centuries?"

Steven spoke first, interrupting Diana before she even had a chance to tell us how stupid we were. "We assumed there were other Ravens because there were none when we started scouting Beacon Hills, after the werecoyote outbreak. Which we assumed was the cause. And once we learned Kate was responsible, the pieces seemed to fit together." He looked at his leader. "Or so we thought."

"What about the alliance?" Stiles asked. "Was it universal?"

I stiffened as I watched Kate walk out of the shadows behind Diana and Steven, with a gun in one hand and four pack members on her flanks. "Well, well, well. I was looking for Derek, but maybe taking out the pesky Ravens first is the way to go. Especially since you're outnumbered. Five of us and three of you. Plus the human."

"Stiles, my name is Stiles. Why do you always forget my name?"

"Stiles," I whispered, warning him. But then Kate said, "That was rude. To apologize, I'll answer your question: the alliance only applied to their conspiracy and whatever werecoyotes were in Los Angeles and Mexico City."

"Why only there?"

Diana answered, "Every conspiracy is sworn to protect a city. Ours was L.A. My sister's is Mexico City."

"So if you didn't break an alliance, why did you make us think you did?"

"I didn't. In my defense," she said, her voice sickeningly sweet, "I wasn't even able to break an alliance with these stupid Ravens even if I wanted to."

"What?"

Stiles answered for her. "She came for Derek and left."

Her betas bristled, itching for a fight, as she said, "I took Derek on a trip to Mexico. I was hoping to turn him into a werewolf Berserker but he escaped before I had the chance."

"You had him for eight months. Did you take him on vacation?"

"I had to master it first, on others. But I couldn't get it down. And once Derek was gone, well, I realized I could just create my own pack. One to take you all down. Most of them were from Mexico City, so maybe I did accidentally break that one." Then she winked at me. "It's not my fault you Ravens seem to think everything is about you."

"Allison told me not to trust you. And that's what I thought I was doing, but you used Malia to figure out how to distract us."

"Allison?" she asked, but none of us really heard her.

Steven continued our thought process, "She's been making werecoyotes, not killing Ravens."

"And I didn't notice. Because I was too busy with myself."

"Like a regular teenager," Diana pointed out.

"What's the excuse your "True Alpha" is using?" She mocked.

I shifted and answered, simply, "Scott wants to save everyone. He thought he was doing that by protecting me. Like a real leader."

"Real leaders are smarter than that. Real leaders actually _protect_. But he wasn't protecting you, sweetie, he was protecting everyone from you." _That's it_, Allison thought. I lunged for the werecoyote on her left, swiftly pulling my dagger out from its sheath, knocking him down, and stabbing him repeatedly in the stomach. He growled at me, pushing me off onto the ground and baring his teeth as he stood over me, ready to devour. I saw someone leap over, fist slowly digging into the werecoyote's face. _Steven_. Pushing up from the ground, I jumped up from my back onto my feet, steadying myself to take on the others.

One of them came out of nowhere, sucker punching me. I hissed at the pain, but immediately swiped at her, with my knife, successfully cutting into her arm. She wiped the dripping blood off, flicking it away from her, and grinned right before kicking my weapon out of my hand. My wrist snapped back, cracking, but not breaking. With her claws extended, she dug them into my shoulder. As I buckled under the pain, she spit into the wound. Once on my knees, she kicked me down, growling, and the blood seeped from my shoulder. _Why are you bleeding so much? _Allison was right. It was a shallow wound at best.

A pair of brown combat boots stood in front of me, laughing. "Oh, little Raven. Didn't you know that coyote saliva paralyzes your kind?"

From my spot on the ground, I saw that Kate had disappeared and one werecoyote was already lying on the floor, slumped over, barely breathing. Helplessly, I watched as Diana and Steven took on the remaining three, holding their own. Steven swept the legs of one as Diana sliced through another with what looked like Chinese ring daggers. Diana looked over at me and shouted, "The wound was shallow! The saliva should already be wearing off!"

Allison spoke softly in my mind: "You're bleeding so much because your body is already fighting off the poison." I wiggled my fingers and toes before trying to move my legs. It was useless. Steven stabbed the female werecoyote multiple times in the stomach before she keeled over. His superior was taking on the other two effortlessly, avoiding hits and targeting their weakest areas. Instead of helping her, he moved towards me, using his super speed. Steven picked me up off the ground, threw me over his shoulder, and tossed me into the Jeep. He looked at Stiles, who had stood by his car with his bat in case one of the others came after him, and said, "Take her somewhere safe. We'll be okay here."

Stiles nodded in response but before he could thank him, the Raven's eyes flashed white. "You need to go help your friends. Now." He darted back over and without delay, Stiles hopped into the car and drove off, leaving behind the Ravens with their remaining werecoyotes. Finally, movement returned to most of my body and I kept looking back where we left them, guilty.

Glancing over at me, he asked, "V, are you okay? You're shaking now."

"I don't know if I'm okay. But I should be asking you that."

He shrugged, remarking, "No one cared about the weak, defenseless human."

"You're neither of those things." He smiled sadly, the corners of his mouth threatening to turn down. "I can't do what you guys do. I can't even protect my mind from evil spirits. My mind, V! Which is supposed to be my strongest asset."

"Stiles," I deadpanned, "the nogitsune knew how strong you were. That using you was an advantage to him, not a disadvantage. And what can I even do? Sure, I have speed, but did you see me out there today? Even with the training from Argent, I'm useless. I thought all the training I've had was enough, but I might just spend the entire fight running away." He parked on the side of the street, outside his house, and I unbuckled my seatbelt so I could scoot over next to him. "And if you want to do what I can sort of do, I'll teach you. _Nous protégeons ceux qui ne peuvent pas se protéger leurs-même. _That can be what you do."

He wrapped his arms around me and rested his chin on my head, the two of us inhaling deeply at the same time. I whispered, "I was so useless."

"No you weren't. You didn't know about the saliva thing."

"But what about—" I stopped myself. My vision disappeared. Stiles was barely audible anymore. "V? What about what?"

I couldn't see a thing. Weakly, I murmured, "I can't see, I can't see."


	16. The Darkest Night (pt2)

**A/N: **And I'm back! Wow. Has it really been a year and a half? Whoops.

* * *

The Martin house was in a state of frenzy: bright, neon lights flashed and music blared, the muffled sounds hitting as far as the sidewalk. I was absolutely struck in awe at Lydia's doorstep, unable to ring the bell. Partly because of the theatrics I feared were inside but also because it seemed ridiculous to be entering an outrageous party after last night.

* * *

**25 hours before.**

_I couldn't see a thing. Weakly, I murmured, "I can't see, I can't see." _

_"V? What's wrong? Oh god," Stiles said. I wanted to ask what he was seeing, what I couldn't, what was happening. But before I opened my mouth, I suddenly felt like I was floating. Not the way I felt in the water, but as if I was floating in the sky. _

My vision cleared and I wasn't in the Jeep, paralyzed, with Stiles anymore. As the airiness dissipated, I realized I was in a cramped, dimly lit room. Sitting across from Kira, who was cleaning off her katana. I tried speaking, "K-kira?"

"Yeah, Scott?" She asked without looking up. Scott? Why—

"Why did you call me Scott?" Kira's eyes met mine - or what I assumed were mine - and answered, "Scott, you're scaring me. And your eyes are white…." She took several steps backwards, clutching her sword.

"K-kira, it's me, V."

"V? What? How are you—"

"I'm not entirely sure. And I don't even know how long I have in his body. But where are you guys?" I asked, swinging my - I mean, Scott's - head side to side. It was too dark to make out anything else in the room. But I knew one thing was missing: "Where's Lydia?"

"Lydia and I split up to go find the wolves. Which was stupid, I know, but we thought it would be more effective. Scott and I ended up getting ambushed by these hunters who were after Kate." I noticed the blood splatter across her jacket and looked down at my own - I meant, _Scott's_ \- hands.

"There's blood. Are you guys safe now?"

"We fought them off and ran. So we're at the animal clinic now, hiding out. Can you come find us?" Before I could answer, I was back in my own body and Stiles was staring at me intently. I reached out for him and blurted, "There are hunters after Kate. And they don't know where Lydia is."

"Wait, what? Slow down, V."

I took a deep breath and tried again slowly, "Remember when I was training with Argent that very first time and Diana found a way to possess me? I did it to Scott. I don't know how but it happened and I just, I found myself with him. Him and Kira at the animal clinic. They were chased down by hunters that are looking for Kate."

His eye twitched at me, exasperation spreading across his face. "Great. This is exactly what we needed. You know, why not? Psychotic coyotes, untrustworthy Ravens. Really, let's add ruthless hunters willing to go after any and all supernatural creatures. You know what, that's not enough, V, why not invite Darth Vader and call it a day!" I furrowed my eyebrows at him. "Really? You haven't watched it either?"

I shrugged and puckered my lips slightly before shaking my head no, much to his dismay. "I saw _Revenge of the Sith._"

"I'm not even - I can't. The girl I like has never seen _Star Wars_," he said, tilting his head back and groaning. I looked at him, with dumbfounded awe at his lack of ability to prioritize, and scrunched my eyebrows again.

Wiping my forehead in frustration, I said, "_Anyway_, getting our priorities back in order, we have to find Lydia. She and Kira split up after we left them for our date."

"Wow, you don't even have a response when I say I like you. How's that supposed to make me feel?" He joked. I glared at him, almost numb to his inappropriate flirtation, and Stiles started his car. "They're at the animal clinic, you said?"

I nodded and off we went, back into the night. I couldn't stop thinking about Lydia, about Kira, about Diana. Steven. On top of the vengeful werecoyotes, we now had to deal with hunters. _Hunters_. "I'll call Chris."

* * *

**Present.**

"Hey, V," Stiles whispered, coming up from behind me. In one hand, he was holding four X-Men movies and one Star Wars; he put his empty hand gently on my waist and together we stood silently, looking up at the porch light, not making any move to ring the doorbell. After a few minutes, we shared a look, and knocked. A stranger swung the door open immediately, and slurred, "Come on in! Join the party, guys."

We made our way into the house, and I attempted to joke, "So much for a small movie night with just the pack."

"Yeah," he replied, absentmindedly, as he dropped his DVDs off at the table by the door. He kept his arm around me, drawing me close, and shouted over the music, "We should find Scott."

The rooms were packed to the brim with students, students I should've recognized, but I didn't. Times like these really made me think about how much time I spent with the pack, paying no notice to anyone else.

"I don't think we could find anyone here," I yelled. Stiles beamed down at me and I rolled my eyes. We ended up in the kitchen, where a vaguely familiar boy was pouring numerous shots of vodka for the assorted, scantily dressed girls flirting with him.

I greeted him, gesturing for the bottle and obviously abusing my seniority, and he reluctantly released it from his possession, not before flashing me a flirtatious grin. "You're too young for me."

"Maybe if I changed your perspective, you wouldn't think that." There was a smirk perched on the edge of his mouth, but then it immediately disappeared as Stiles slung his arm around my shoulders. "Hey, Stilinski. What's up?"

"Garrett," he said curtly, "you remember V, right?"

"Yeah, you come to lacrosse practice a lot." That's where I knew him from: Garrett was one of the sophomore lacrosse players Stiles was always ranting about. Him and some guy named Liam Dunbar.

"Yup, how's your girlfriend? Um, Violet?"

"She's good, actually." He nodded along, scanning the crowd, absentmindedly asking, "How do you know her?"

"Sometimes she sits alone at practice, so Kira and I chat with her. Vi must really like you if she's willing to sit alone for a couple of hours."

"Yeah, I guess I never thought of it like that," he said sheepishly. A black guy from the lacrosse team - Mason, I think - came up to us, fist-bumped Stiles quickly, and dragged Garrett away from us, who frantically waved goodbye before disappearing into the crowd.

"They seem like nice guys," I commented. "I don't get why you're always complaining about about those sophomores."

Stiles was watching the crowd intently, waiting to see if his best friend would pop up among them. I had to tap him on the shoulder to get his attention. "What? Oh. Mason's fine, Liam's gotten better. But Garrett, he's so - aghhh." He made some kind of crumpling gesture with his hands and frowned.

I laughed and curled my fingers around his wrist, gently tugging him along. "Maybe Lydia or Kira is upstairs. We can't just stand here and wait for someone to show up."

* * *

**23 hours before.**

Kira and Scott ran out to the Jeep as soon as Stiles drove into the parking lot. _Must be that werewolf hearing. _Before we even had a chance to stop the car, Scott was already opening the back passenger door and climbing in with Kira. "So you guys don't know where Lydia is, right?"

"No, we came straight here. I have no idea where she would be, Scotty."

As I grabbed Stiles's phone out of the cup-holder and dialed Isaac's number, I turned to the pair in the back and apologized, "I'm also really sorry about taking over your body and everything. Don't even know how that happened."

"It's okay, it helped you find us."

"H-hello?"

"Isaac, where are you?"

Groggily, he answered, "I've been asleep at Scott's."

"Look, Lydia is missing. Stiles and I were ambushed by Kate and Kira and Scott were attacked by hunters. It's been kind of a mess."

I could hear him shifting around as he asked, "Where are you now?"

"At the animal clinic. But I don't think we're staying."

"Go to Allison's dad's. If the hunters find you guys again, maybe he'll be able to talk to them or something. I'll be there soon," he said, his footsteps reverberating loudly as he was probably heading down the staircase.

"Okay," I whispered, nodding even if he couldn't see me.

"And V? You'll be okay."

* * *

**Present. **

Stiles and I made our way upstairs, his hand on the small of my back, as he shielded me from the crowd. I couldn't see anyone from the pack and I was getting worried. Stiles noticed and reassured me. "Maybe they're not here yet."

"This is Lydia's house."

Ignoring me, he kept walking towards a couple making out in the hallway, right next to Lydia's room. The guy's hands were clutching the girl's hip, playfully moving her around and smiling against her face as they kissed. I raised an eyebrow at him and said, "Never mind that, Stiles, looks like they are here."

As the couple continued their intimacy, he looked at me with a sense of pride and winked. Raising his own voice, he added on, "Looks like we won't be able to talk to Scott or Kira tonight."

The werewolf and the kitsune broke apart, both turning dark shades of red. Scott stuttered, "W-when d-did you guys get here?"

"About twenty minutes ago. But we ran into Liam and Garrett downstairs by the alcohol," I explained. "So it took us a bit longer to find you. Though it seems like y'all weren't looking for us. Or anyone else."

Kira protested, "We were!"

"Unless you wanna claim you saw Isaac down Scott's throat, K, I'm not gonna believe you."

Stiles grabbed my wrist. "Anyway, since the two of you look awfully cozy right now, we won't bother you any longer. So I think I'll just take V to find Lyd and Isaac and see how they're doing. Especially after last night."

"Are you guys sure? We should only be a couple more minutes," Kira insisted. Scott gave her a bit of a side-eye and his best friend did his best to stifle the laughter that was bubbling up.

"Yeah, right," I scoffed. "Enjoy the party and t_ake all the time you need_."

* * *

**22 and a half hours before. **

"So right now, we're not sure if Diana and Steven finished off Kate's pack?" The five of us sat smushed on his couch, elbows digging into sides, knees clanging against each other, as Argent processed the details of everything we told him. "Or where Lydia is?"

"Nope," I answered meekly. "Now would be a great time for one of those convenient phone calls from the villain. But since this isn't a movie, I'll take this into my own hands."

"And…do what exactly, Veronica? I'm not letting you go out there while you're wounded."

"I'm not wounded," I protested, but all of them shushed me. "But of course not: I'm gonna call the villain." I flipped open my prepaid phone and dialed the number quickly — it was painful to ignore the stares from the rest of the pack as I listened to the line ring.

"Veronica." Malia's voice fought with static to make way out of my phone. "What do you want?"

"Where's Lydia?"

"The banshee? She's probably out shopping." Then she laughed. "Wait, don't tell me you lost her. And you think Kate has her?"

Clearly I hadn't thought this through all the way. I kept my voice even and ignored her question, "There are people hunting down your precious mentor, Malia."

There was only silence on the other end.

"Look, we'll forgive you, Malia. Just forget about Kate and come back to us." When the static disappeared, I knew she'd hung up.

The moment I stuck my phone back in my pocket, Isaac asked, "What do you mean we'll forgive her? V, she attacked you."

"That wasn't her fault," Scott answered. "She's young, she's been human for eight months out of seventeen years. And then she meets Kate—"

"—who's a were-coyote, just like—" Suddenly I found myself clutching my ears in pain, crumpling to the ground. I watched as the rest of the supernatural pack fell as well, with flashes of Lydia, screaming, screaming, screaming.

"_She's in the woods_."

* * *

**Present. **

I clutched onto Stiles' hand and briskly walked away from the couple. Giggling, we twisted and turned around more amorous couples in the crowded hallway until finding a tiny little corner we could call our own.

"They were, uh," I said in between laughs, "really bouncing back from last night's events, especially since they were the ones who got ambushed by hunters."

"Better or worse than Kate's pack?"

"Bad," I answered. "All bad. I still don't get why they thought Scott would know where Kate is."

"Something something true Alpha, something something watches over Beacon Hills," he replied, resting one hand on my hip.

Instinctively, I leaned into him. "Thanks for that great explanation."

"More or less helpful than Isaac?"

"Har har."

"I'm just making a point."

"I know," I replied softly. He placed his other hand on my hip too, pulling me closer. In return, I put my hand on his cheek, grazing just below his eyes, and pulled him into a kiss. My other hand sat gently on his chest. Stiles shifted his hands from my hips to the small of my back, nesting me between his legs as he leaned against the wall. Our kiss deepened and his tongue playfully touched my lower lip for a brief second, causing me to smile.

_He's definitely practiced_, I thought. Our lips continued melting together and I lifted my hand to reach around the back of his head and tugged on his hair. He smiled against my face, pulling away to look down at me; his eyes satisfied but puzzled.

I said, "I'm so sorry, but I've been wanting to do that since Homecoming."

"Don't ever apologize for kissing me, V," he replied, tucking loose strands of hair behind my ear. We looked at each other for another minute, before he sighed. "Though, we're just as bad as the rest of them now. Getting distracted from the problem at hand."

"We're teenagers," I laughed.

"Yeah, we are, V, but something happened last night."

"A lot happened last night."

"Maybe, but something happened between you and Lydia."

"I kiss you - finally kiss you - and you want to talk about last night?"

"V, remember what you said about focusing on the right priorities?"

"I guess I thought of all people you'd be the one to help me forget about all our problems." I ran away from him before he could respond and disappeared into the crowd, heading straight for the stairs that led to Lydia's back yard.

It was easier to get through the throngs of drunk and tipsy high school students on my own. I slid the backdoor open, turned on a set of lights, and stepped outside into the bracing night air. Kissing Stiles was a way to distract, a way to forget the things I saw last night, the things Lydia could only say with a scream.

* * *

**22 hours before.**

We raced into the woods, with Scott at the front of the pack and me in the back, tugging Stiles along. As soon as we'd stepped onto the edge of the reservoir, the Alpha caught on to Lydia's scent and led the way for us less powerful creatures.

I felt Stiles constantly looking at me in concern, as I stayed silent since I revealed Lydia was in the woods. They'd questioned me, sure, but there was no substantial reason to doubt. Two creatures of death: one a harbinger, the other a traveler between worlds.

Lydia materialized in my mind again, nearly catatonic, standing grimly in the clearing. She extended her hand, as if towards me, and screamed again. I collapsed onto the ground, dragging Stiles with me, and he shouted for Scott to stop.

No one else this time. Just me.

When she finished, I opened my eyes to see the rest of the pack standing over me, with Kira crouching down and holding my hand. She was asking, "Veronica, Veronica? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I stood back up, a little shaky, and said, "I'll go slower. I just tripped."

"V," Isaac said, putting one hand on my shoulder to steady me, "you were screaming."

"Let's just find Lydia. Go."

"We don't need to."

I looked over my shoulder and saw Lydia, moving slowly towards us. Her eyes locked on mine, and her mouth opened, but she didn't scream this time. Instead, she murmured, "_Someone's going to die_."

* * *

**Present.**

I was still standing outside alone, by the pool, and shivering. Aloud, I repeated, "Someone's going to die."

My heart was taking up too much space in my chest, wholly expanding beyond its limits. It was like my ribcage couldn't serve its purpose. Breathing in deeply made my entire body ache: a dull jab in my chest, a soreness in my knees, and the feeling of collapse nearby. I was on the verge of tears and I kept experiencing that sudden rush before sobbing, but nothing left.

There was a subtle shift in the world around me, tilting every now and then. It wasn't quick or dizzying, just everything moving in slow motion. Even the music from inside the house was nothing more than the low buzzing of a fly. But the throbbing in my chest, the sound of blood pumping was deafening. My breathing hitched, and I fell over, grasping at any sense of reality I could.

My heart rate quickened and I tried to hold my breath. But any control I had over my body was gone, my arms were limp and—

I was too weak. I couldn't. I couldn't do it. Do anything.

I felt someone scoop me up off the floor and Stiles's voice spoke over me, "Veronica? V. You're okay. It's okay."

"What we do?" I whispered. "How can we stop it?"

* * *

**12 hours before. **

"Did you sleep well?"

"Not at all. You and me sharing the couch was not a great idea."

"Well, you were the one who insisted that Lydia get the guest bed while the rest of us scrounged for our own places to sleep."

"True," I relented. "At least we weren't Isaac in the bathtub."

"Whatever," he grumbled, avoiding my eyes.

Lydia bounced down the stairs, a perk in her step that shouldn't have been around for someone who'd spent hours in the woods on her own. "Okay, so for the kickback tonight—"

"We can't go through with that."

"But it's what you wanted. One night free of distraction."

"Lydia—"

"It is happening, whether you'll be there or not," she replied curtly. "We need a night away from all of the tragedies we've experienced in the last year or so. It'll be good for us."

Pointedly, she added, "Really good for you, V."

I held her gaze, careful not to let my expression give away what had happened. Isaac and Stiles looked at the two of us, eyes scrutinizing our faces. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing!"

* * *

**Present.**

We sat there in silence at the edge of the pool until I was finally able to look him in the eyes. And he asked again, "What happened between you and Lydia? Please, V."

"S-she— She screamed. She looked at me and screamed when we were running in the woods."

"You're the one that's going to die?"

"N-no. I don't think so. But I felt it. I felt what she feels when she screams. One of us is going to die. The only thing I can actually tell you, Stiles, is that the entire pack needs to leave Beacon Hills."

"We can't leave. The solar eclipse is in two days."

"And someone is going to die. Stiles, let me protect all of you. Diana and the rest of her pack. She promised they would still help. And they will. But you need to go."

"We're not going anywhere, Veronica." The rest of the pack joined us outside, sitting around us. Scott repeated, "Kate is hunting werewolves. This is my fight, not yours."

"But—"

"You can't say anything that would convince us otherwise, V," Isaac argued. "We're staying. We're not going down without a fight."

Lydia said, "But one of us, someone's not going to make it."

"Who?"

"We don't know."


End file.
